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Project Blue Book documents on the Killian case, compiled by Dan Wilson
NICAP · 83 pages · text by OCR
This NICAP compilation by Dan Wilson gathers Project Blue Book records on the sighting of 24 February 1959, when American Airlines Flight 139, flying from Newark to Detroit, and two United Airlines crews saw three lights over Pennsylvania and Ohio. It includes the record card, pilot statements, Air Force letters and correspondence with an Akron UFO committee. The Air Force concluded that the lights came from three B-47s refueling from KC-97 tankers. Book excerpts disputing Captain Killian's later claims are also included.
“Sightings”54 pages
- p. 1 …BRIEF SUMMARY OF SIGHTING
Capt American Airlines pilot, Two United Airlines Pilots, Control tower operators at…
- p. 2 …this sighting first came to the attention of the ATIC through a UPI press release . the…
- p. 12 …With respect to his other questions- we have no report of a sighting in the Olean…
- p. 14 …Reference is made to a recent Associated Press news story concerning the 24 February UFOB sighting…
- p. 16 …Upon analysis and evaluation, this sighting turned out to be B-47 type aircraft accomplishing night…
- p. 17 …This would account for the tanker aircrafts lights being sighted over Akron at 9:15 p…
- p. 18 …I mention a few details in this sighting because a few Akron radio stations have announced…
- p. 19 …The tower operators on duty at the time of the sighting reported that three lights were…
- p. 22 …attaching statement from our Capta regarding objects sighted on his flight 139 of February 24, 1959…
- p. 23 20
Unidentified Flying Object Sighting
1. The following information is furnished in reply to your message…
- p. 24 …He then turned the cockpit lights off while he continued to observe the sighting. His description…
- p. 26 …Reference telephone conversation between Capt analysis of subject sighting and copy of Capt. a report is…
- p. 27 …This would account for the lights being approximately 30 degrees above Capt horizon and his sighting…
- p. 28 …All observers description hastitated the sighting of one and the same group of lights.
1. This…
- p. 31 …CONCERNING AN UFO SIGHTING BY AIRLINE PILOT CAPT THE FOLLOWING INFO IS SUBMITTED: CAPT WAS REQUESTED…
- p. 32 TWX's and Letters pertaining to evaluation of Sighting 2500th ABW Investigation
Statement to American Airlines…
- p. 33 UFO SIGHTING OVER PENNSYLVANIA Captain 24 February 1959
Departing Newark 1910 arriving Detroit 2252.
It was…
- p. 34 …This operation took place in the area of the sighting. The Air Force bomber and tanker…
- p. 35 policy on the handling of UFO sightings over the years to be found in the case…
- p. 36 The Air Force's third explanation of his sighting, "well, contradictory and not set in factory…
- p. 37 In regard to the 24 February 1959 American Air Lines pilot's sighting near Bradford, Pennsylvania…
- p. 38 …25--(UPI)--A REPORT OF "FLYING SAUCERS" OVER MICHIGAN TODAY FOLLOWED ON THE HEELS OF SIGHTINGS…
- p. 40 # lane Pilot Sights 'Flying Saucers'
DETROIT. Feb. 25 (AP). The pilot of an American DC-6…
- p. 44 …It was sighted by airport control tower operators and by many excited citizens. It was said…
- p. 46 …We read about it and we wonder if the person who has sighted such objects has…
- p. 47 …And both of them, when I brought it to their attention, had sighted the same three…
- p. 50 …Killian. "but I just watched awhile without saying anything." It was a brand-new sight to…
- p. 51 …He in turn reported the sighting to Akron Radio Station WAKR, and requested that anyone having…
- p. 52 …But, applying such an explanation to the airlines sighting is ridiculously far-fetched and completely contrary…
- p. 53 …Air Force's third explanation of his sighting, "all contradictory and none satisfactory".
"I know that…
- p. 55 # 'Flying Saucer' Sightings Still Get Air Force Study
## By Ralph Chapman
When an American Airlines pilot…
- p. 56 …Bartlett, Jr., noted Baltimore astronomer who has sighted both disc-shaped and rocket-shaped UFOs and…
- p. 57 …attitude carried to the ulti The Star-Leiger has their
Each of the pilots has sighted…
- p. 58 ## THE INEVITABLE SILENCING
As of this writing, Captain Killian is no longer discussing his sighting of…
- p. 59 …This report, cleared by Security and Review at the Pentagon, described several UFO sightings at White…
- p. 60 …The company at no time before this requested the Captain not to talk about this sighting…
- p. 61 …The New York Herald Tribune article of 1 March 1959 concerning this sighting was factual and…
- p. 62 There is only one official explanation or evaluation for this sighting. It is the fact that…
- p. 63 …Killian's flight path during the hour of the sighting. These B-47's were on…
- p. 64 …25, 1955, list several of its weakest sighting reports as being the cream of the crop…
- p. 65 …of the "free press", explain away all sightings as being weather balloons, birds, search lights, mirages…
- p. 66 # ADDITIONAL SIGHTINGS ADD WORLD WIDE CREDENCE TO REPORTS
On the evening of February 24th two Scandinavian…
- p. 69 …anything like that before."
WHEN Killian first sighted the objects the sky was absolutely clear. Visibility…
- p. 71 …However, the meteor sightings took place from 5:30 a.m. to 5:45 a.m…
- p. 72 about 15 hours before the sightings of the UFO's reported here.
The color of the…
- p. 74 …It is my belief that this was not a genuine UFO sighting. I will attempt to…
- p. 75 …Immediately this case became a red hot UFO sighting. Most newspapers carried accounts of it. This…
- p. 76 …Upon analysis and evaluation, this sighting turned out to be B-47 type aircraft accomplishing night…
- p. 77 …In view of this information it is my opinion that this sighting was actually caused by…
- p. 79 …Meanwhile, following standard CIRVIS procedure (Communication Instruction for Reporting Vital Intelligence Sighting from Aircraft), the Manager…
- p. 80 …miles an hour, keep the unknowns in sight for forty minutes? In that length of time…
- p. 81 ## The Killian Case
The most famous UFO sighting of this type is the Killian case. On…
- p. 82 …After describing the circumstances of the sighting, the appearance and behavior of the lights, the statement…
- p. 83 …24 sighting of a three-UFO formation by Killian, his co-pilot, and crew of five…
PROJECT 10073 RECORD CARD
1. DATE 2. LOCATION 12. CONCLUSIONS
24 Feb 59 Pennsylvania & Ohio □ Was Balloon
□ Probably Balloon
□ Possibly Balloon
□ Was Aircraft Refueling Opr
□ Probably Aircraft
□ Possibly Aircraft
□ Was Astronomical
□ Probably Astronomical
□ Possibly Astronomical
□ Other
□ Insufficient Data for Evaluation
□ Unknown
3. DATE-TIME GROUP 4. TYPE OF OBSERVATION
Local □ Ground-Visual □ Ground-Radar
GMT 25/0045Z □ Air-Visual □ Air-Intercept Radar
5. PHOTOS 6. SOURCE
□ Yes
□ No Civil Airlines □ Other
□ Insufficient Data for Evaluation
□ Unknown
7. LENGTH OF OBSERVATION 8. NUMBER OF OBJECTS 9. COURSE
10. BRIEF SUMMARY OF SIGHTING
Capt American Airlines pilot, Two United Airlines Pilots, Control tower operators at Pittsburg airport, and ground observers near Akron, Ohio. Capt on UAL flight near Youngstown, Ohio also witness the refueling. 11. COMMENTS
Verified as refueling operation.
3 B-47's being refueled by EC-97.
About this file
Document, cited by the archive. The PDF is mirrored here; the original link is under it. The text was read from the page images by an OCR model; expect the odd misread word. 83 pages are in the text index: search them above, or from the library's search.