Thomas Mantell Dies Chasing UFO

When one looks back into the history of UFOs, some of the very best cases were those that occurred from 1940 to 1950. One of these is the Thomas Mantell case of 1948, which just happens to be the year I was born. Mantell was flying a P-51 for the Kentucky National Guard when reports of a UFO began reaching the Kentucky State Police. He began his chase with 3 other planes, but eventually only he remained. As he approached the mysterious object, he saw the same thing that Godman tower saw, a large, metallic object. Mantell would relate to the tower, "The object is directly ahead of and above me now, moving at about half my speed...It appears to be a metallic object or possibly reflection of Sun from a metallic object, and it is of tremendous size...I’m still climbing... I’m trying to close in for a better look." At 30,000 feet, Mantell probably passed out due to lack of oxygen. The plane crashed only a few moments later, with the World War II ace still strapped in his seat.

Pilot Crashes While Pursuing UFO is a skillful piece of writing, and the gentleman who wrote it certainly did his research. It is rare that I say this, but the video that accompanies the article is a must see. It is surely a professional creation with great facts mixed with archival footage from the U S Air Force. I must give credit where it is due. Reporter: Drew Speier, New Media Producer: Rachel Chambliss, both of you, KUDOS! A well balanced report giving both sides of the argument. Once again, we face the familiar argument of the debunkers who say that Mantell was merely chasing a top secret balloon. Where have we heard this before? The proponents of the UFO theory point out that even Project Blue Book, who were interested in the case because Mantell was a pilot, would assert that the maneuverability of the object was beyond the capabilities of a balloon. The documents with this information were originally left off of the official report. There the mystery rests.

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