The Death of Captain Mantell
The account
A military pilot died while chasing a flying saucer over Kentucky.
What investigators found
The most widely accepted explanation is a high-altitude balloon from the U.S. Navy's secret Skyhook project.
The story
On January 7, 1948, witnesses and the control tower at Godman Field, Kentucky, reported a bright object in the sky. Captain Thomas Mantell of the Air National Guard was already airborne in his P-51 Mustang fighter and climbed in pursuit. Without oxygen equipment, he went past a safe altitude, lost consciousness and crashed near Franklin.
The press turned him into the first pilot killed by a flying saucer. The Air Force at one point suggested he had been chasing the planet Venus. Years later, investigators concluded that the most likely target was a Skyhook balloon, still classified at the time, capable of climbing extremely high and reflecting the sun like a metallic object.