An Analysis of the Thomas Mantell UFO Case

ABSTRACT: On January 7, 1948, Kentucky Air National Guard fighter pilot, Captain Thomas F. Mantell, crashed his F-51 fighter near Franklin, Kentucky. He had been chasing a large object claimed by some to be a flying saucer or UFO. There were multiple witnesses to the object including the commanding officer at Godman Army Air Field, Colonel Guy F. Hix. He, along with witnesses in the air and on the ground, provided descriptions of the UFO for Air Force investigators. The official conclusion was that Mantell had died in a tragic aircraft accident caused by his attempt to intercept the object later said to be Venus, a weather balloon, and then Venus and two weather balloons. The final, official conclusion was that Mantell had violated regulations by climbing above 14,000 feet without oxygen equipment and died in the resulting crash, and that the object he chased was a cosmic ray research balloon known as a Skyhook.

THE INCIDENT: As it is frequently reported in the UFO literature, the incident began at 1320 hours (1:20 p.m.). Technical Sergeant (T/SGT) Quinton Blackwell, working the tower at Godman Army Air Field at Fort Knox, Kentucky, received a telephone call from the military police saying that they had received a call from the Kentucky State Highway Patrol who said they were taking calls about something flying over Maysville, Kentucky. That information was brought to the attention of the base operations officer, the intelligence officer and finally, the base commander, Colonel Guy F. Hix. None was able to identify it.

For about an hour and twenty-five minutes, dozens of people including Colonel Hix, watched as the UFO seemed to hang motionless in the southwestern sky. In the towns of southern Kentucky, people watched the UFO, some claiming it drifted silently and slowly to the south. Others thought that it hovered for a few minutes and then resumed its slow flight. The witnesses were clearly describing something that was moving very slow.

At 2:45 p.m., the situation suddenly changed. A flight of F-51 Mustang fighters (it should be noted here that the designation of the Mustang had recently been changed from a "P" for pursuit, to an "F" for fighter) flew over Godman Army Air Field. With the UFO still visible, the flight leader, Captain Thomas Mantell, was asked if he would investigate. Mantell replied that he was merely ferrying the aircraft but that he would attempt an intercept. He began a spiraling, climbing turn to 220 degrees and 15,000 feet.

As he reached 15,000 feet, Mantell radioed the tower. Records of that transmission are in dispute. Mantell did say that the object was "above me and appears to be moving about half my speed." Later he would report that it was "metallic and it is tremendous in size." With the UFO still above him, he reported he would continue to climb.

The records are also confusing about the altitudes that various pilots reached. Clearly Mantell and two of his wingman reached 15,000 feet. Some of the documentation suggests that all three aircraft reached 22,000 feet, where the two wingmen who had stayed with him, Lieutenant A.W. Clements and Lieutenant B.A. Hammond turned back. The oxygen equipment of one of the fighters had failed and military regulations required that oxygen be used above 14,000 feet. Hammond radioed that they were abandoning the intercept, but Mantell, who had no oxygen equipment on his aircraft, continued to climb. He did not acknowledge the message from Hammond.

For thirty minutes, as the flight chased the huge object, each of the wingmen broke off the intercept. Now, at 3:10 p.m., Mantell was the only pilot left chasing the object and he was alone at 23,000 feet. According to the documentation, he either told his wingmen that he was going to climb to 20,000 feet and if he could get no closer or observe anything else, he would break off the intercept. Others suggested that he said he was going to 25,000 feet for ten minutes.

The last that anyone saw of him, he was still climbing toward the UFO but made no more radio calls to either his wingmen or the control tower at Godman. By 3:15 everyone had lost both radio and visual contact with him.

Fearing the worst, a search was launched and just after 5:00 p.m., on a farm near Franklin, Kentucky, the remains of Mantell's F-51 were found scattered over about a half a mile. Mantell's body was inside the broken cockpit. His watch had stopped at 3:18 p.m. From the evidence it seems that Mantell was killed in the crash of his aircraft.

These are the facts as they have been established to this point. This is, of course, a bare bones examination of the incident. There is additional information and analysis of what happened, some of it based solely on speculation.

An accident investigation began immediately, as was required by regulations. It was a two pronged attack. One was to determine what happened to Mantell and why he had crashed. In other words, it was a standard aircraft accident. The second was to identify the object, or objects, that he had chased. This was a UFO investigation.

THE ACCIDENT INVESTIGATION: Accident investigators, unconcerned with the reports of the disk-shaped object, attempted to learn why Mantell had crashed. They looked at everything relating to the flight, Mantell's experience as a pilot, and even the manufacture of the aircraft. According to the Army Air Forces Report of Major Accident, aircraft number 44-65869, which was built on December 15, 1944, crashed 3.5 miles from Franklin, Kentucky. The narrative section contains a description of the accident. It stated:

On 7 January 1948 at approximately 1450-1455, Captain Mantell was leading a flight of four (4) P-51 aircraft on a flight from Marietta Air Base, Marietta, Georgia to Standiford Field at Louisville, Kentucky. Nearing Godman Field, Kentucky, the flight was contacted by Godman Field Control Tower and requested to identify an object in the sky if the mission would permit. Captain Mantell replied that his mission was ferrying aircraft and that he would attempt to identify the object in the sky. Captain Mantell began a maximum climb in left spirals until about 14000 feet and from there a straight climb at maximum, on a compass heading of approximately 220 degrees. No conversation between Captain Mantell and any member of his flight revealed a clue as to his intentions. One pilot left the flight as the climb began, the remaining two discontinued the climb at approximately 22000 feet. When last observed by the wing man Lt. Clements, Captain Mantell was in a maximum climb at 22500 feet, the aircraft in perfect control. Captain Mantell was heard to say in ship to ship conversation that he would go to 25000 feet for about ten minutes and then come down. Transmission was garbled and attempts to contact Captain Mantell by his flight were unanswered. Lt. Clements was the only pilot equipped with an oxygen mask. This flight had been planned and scheduled as a ferry and navigational trip at low level.

Consensus is that Captain Mantell lost consciousness at approximately 25000 feet, the P-51 being trimmed for a maximum climb continued to climb gradually levelling out as increasing altitude caused decrease in power. The aircraft began to fly in reasonably level attitude at about 30000 feet. It then began a gradual turn to the left because of torque, slowly increasing degree of bank as the nose depressed, finally began a spiraling dive which resulted in excessive speeds causing gradual disintegration of aircraft which probably began between 10000 and 20000 feet.

Since canopy lock was in place after the crash, it is assumed that Captain Mantell made no attempt to abandon the aircraft, and was unconscious at moment of crash or had died from lack of oxygen before aircraft began spiraling dive from about 30000 feet.

Parts of the aircraft were found as far as six-tenths (estimated) of a mile from central wreckage. The parts were scattered north to south. The aircraft came straight down in a horizontal position and landed on the left side. The left wing came off while in the air and landed 100 feet from the central wreckage. The aircraft did not slide forward after contact with the ground.

[Mantell had] Violated AAF [Army Air Forces] Reg. 60-16 Par. 43. However Capt. Mantell was requested by Godman Field Control Tower to investigate objects in the sky, causing this Officer to go above limits of AAF Reg. 60-16.

They recommended, quite naturally, that all pilots again be briefed on the use of oxygen equipment and the effects of the lack of oxygen on the human body and mind.

Destruction of Mantell's Aircraft

There were a number of affidavits offered as supporting documentation of the accident. A witness on the ground, William C. Mayes, saw the aircraft as it circled at altitude and then watched as it fell from the sky, breaking apart. He signed an affidavit within hours of the accident. It said:

I, William C. Mayes of Route #3, Lake Springs Road, Franklin, Kentucky, Simpson County do state that on 7 January 1948 at approximately three-fifteen P.M. I heard an airplane overhead making a funny noise as if he were diving down, and pulling up, but it was just circling. After about three circles, the airplane started into a power dive slowly rotating. This place was so high I could hardly see it when it started down. IT started to make a terrific noise, ever increasing, as it descended. It exploded half way between where it started the dive and the ground. No fire was seen. It hit or crashed at three-twenty P.M., Central. It didn't explode when it hit the ground and did not burn.

In witness whereof, I have hereunto set my hand and seal at my home on Route #3, Lake Spring Road, Franklin, Kentucky this 7th day of January 1948.

William C. Mayes

Sworn and subscribed before me
7th day of January 1948

Richard L. Tyler
Captain, KY ANG
Summary Court Officer

It should be noted that Glenn Mayes signed a similar statement on the same day. There is little difference between what the two eye witnesses said they saw as Mantell's plane began to break up high overheard.

Time of Impact

The exact time of the crash was established by Mantell's watch which it was assumed stopped on impact. An affidavit was completed with the county coroner. It said:

I, Harry W. Booker, Simpson County, Frnaklin [sic], Kentucky, upon examing [sic] the dead body of Captain Thomas F. Mantell Jr. do state that the shattered watch of Captain Mantell stopped at 3:18 P.M. Central, which I fix as the time of death of Captain Mantell.

In witness whereof, I have hereunto set my hand and seal at Franklin, Kentucky this 7th day of January 1948.

Signed by Harry W. Booker

Sworn to and subscribed before me
this 7th day of January 1958.

Richard L. Tyler
Captain Ky ANG
Summary Court Officer

Anoxia/Hypoxia

The last part of the accident summary suggested that Mantell had lost consciousness due to anoxia. This was the actual cause of the accident. The accident investigators seemed to be quite sure of the explanation. The question that came to mind was if the effects of anoxia could come on that quickly, and if so, why hadn't they affected the wingmen as they did Mantell?

According to the Internet website of the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS) and to http://www.neuroskills.com/tbi/anoxia.shtml anoxia is defined as a

"condition in which there is an absence of oxygen supply to an organ's tissues although there is adequate blood flow to the tissue...Anoxia... may be caused by a number of events, such as heart attack, severe asthma, smoke or carbon monoxide inhalation, high altitude exposure... In severe cases of anoxia... from any cause, the patient is often stuporous or comatose... Seizures, myoclonic jerks (muscle spasms or twitches), and neck stiffness may occur."

Another Internet resource, The HealthLink website, clarifies the definition by reporting,

"Specifically, anoxia is a condition in which there is an absence of oxygen supply to an organ's tissues although there is adequate blood flow to the tissue. Hypoxia is a condition in which there is a decrease of oxygen to the tissue in spite of adequate blood flow."

In technical terms, it seems that although Mantell could have suffered from anoxia, he probably suffered from a type hypoxia known as hypoxemic which, according to the Encyclopedia Britannica is "encountered in pilots, mountain climbers, and people living at high altitudes, where the barometric pressure results in a decrease in the amount of breathable oxygen."

Taking all of this one step further, Dr. Stanley R. Mohler, writing in Flight Safety Foundation - Human Factors and Aviation Medicine, reported, "In older literature, the term 'anoxia' may be found. The literal meaning is 'without oxygen,' and the term rarely is used today because most oxygen deficiencies occur along a scale of decreasing levels of oxygen in the body, rather than a total absence of oxygen."

In other words, it is not unreasonable to believe that Mantell had climbed to 25,000 feet and was overcome by hypoxia. The effects can be devastating and certainly can led to unconsciousness. The critical question here is at what altitude would these symptoms begin to manifest. According to the MEDLINE plus Medical E-ncyclopedia:

"Acute mountain sickness Reduced atmospheric pressure and a lower concentration of oxygen at high altitude are the causes of this illness [hypoxemic hypoxia]. It affects the nervous system, lungs, muscles, and heart. Symptoms can range for mild to life-threatening.

In most cases the symptoms are mild, but in severe cases fluid collects in the lungs (pulmonary edema) causing extreme shortness of breath and further decreasing oxygenation. Swelling may also occur in the brain (cerebral edema) causing confusion, coma, and if untreated, death.

The likelihood and severity of altitude illness is greater with increasing rate of ascent, higher altitude (emphasis added), and higher levels of exertion.

Approximately 20% of people will develop mild symptoms at altitudes between 6,300 to 9,700 feet, but pulmonary and cerebral edema are extremely rare at those heights. However, above 14,000 feet (emphasis added), a majority of people will experience at least mild symptoms, while approximately 10% and 1.5%, respectively, of unacclimatized people staying at this altitude will develop pulmonary or cerebral edema."

In the prevention section of the website, it was recommended that

"Mountaineering parties traveling above 9,840 feet (3000 meters) should carry oxygen supply sufficient for several days."

What this tells us is that symptoms, though mild, can begin as low as 6,300 feet, or just slightly higher than Denver, Colorado, and that people traveling above 9,840 (or just under 10,000 feet and well below the 14,000 feet that required the use of oxygen in aircraft according to Army regulations in 1948) should have supplemental oxygen. Mantell was well above those altitudes.

The Swift Onset of Hypoxia

The last question to be asked was how rapid would be the onset of the symptoms. Would Mantell have been susceptible to hypoxia (hypoxemic) after only minutes at altitude. After all, the wingmen reported they had followed him to 22,500 feet before they turned back because one of them didn't have oxygen equipment. Neither man lost consciousness and crashed.

The crash of golfer Payne Stewart's Lear 35 (private jet) provides some information about the rapidity of hypoxia at high altitude. According to an Associated Press story,

"Controllers last talked to the pilots when they confirmed an instruction to climb to 39,000 feet as the plane flew from Orlando, Fla., to Love Field in Dallas. If pressure was lost at that altitude, everyone would have been incapacitated almost immediately."

Ed Ruppelt, the former chief of Project Blue Book, in his book, The Report on Unidentified Flying Objects, wrote,

"In high altitude indoctrination during World War II, I made several trips up to 30,000 feet in a pressure chamber. To demonstrate anoxia, we would leave our oxygen masks off until we became dizzy. A few of the more hardy souls could get to 15,000 feet, but nobody ever got over 17,000. Possibly Mantell thought he could climb up to 20,000 in a hurry and get back down before he got anoxia and blacked out, but this would be a foolish chance." (Ruppelt, 1956, 53)

Most telling is a chart found in Quick Response by Pilots Remains Key to Surviving Cabin Decompression written by Mohler. According to his chart which he adapted from Fundamentals of Aerospace Medicine, at 20,000 feet, Mantell could expect to remain "usefully conscious" for ten minutes; at 22,000 feet he would have remained conscious for six minutes; at 24,000 feet, three minutes and at 26,000 feet, two minutes. Extrapolating from the table, if Mantell had climbed to 25,000, he would not have had the ten minutes of useful consciousness required for his self-defined search. At best, he would have had only two and a half minutes.

There is one area of confusion and that is the altitude where the wingmen left Mantell. The accident report seems to suggest that they followed him to 22,000 feet, and that he had reported he would climb on to 25,000 feet before he abandoned the intercept. Ruppelt, however, suggested that the wingmen followed him only to 15,000 feet and that Mantell's intention was to climb to 20,000 feet for ten minutes.

The discrepancy might be an outgrowth of the violation of regulations. All the pilots involved, including Mantell, knew that they were prohibited from climbing above 14,000 feet without supplemental oxygen. They knowingly violated those regulations. To protect those who survived, it might have been suggested to them that they report they had not flown above 20,000.

It should also be noted that, according to the file,

"At 22,500 feet Clements told Mantell they were getting too high, Clements [sic] wingman, Lt. Hammond had no oxygen and was getting dizzy... When Clements had reported to Mantell that he was turning back, Mantell told him they would go to 25,000 feet, level off, fly for ten minutes as [sic] then go down. When Clements broke off with his wingman at about 23,000 he called Mantell and informed him he had left and Mantell's reply was garbled."

The official files do little to resolve this conflict. It is unclear from the documentation, or from the statements filed by the various wingmen, at what altitude they left Mantell, at what altitude he was when they received his last transmission, or what his exact intentions were. All that is of little importance because it is clear that he continued the intercept beyond 20,000 feet. At that point he would have remained conscious, at best, for ten minutes.

Conclusion of the Accident Investigation: It's clear from the reports and documentation available that the cause of the accident was Mantell's violation of the regulations and his climb above 25,000 feet. It is also clear from the documentation, including the affidavits collected within hours of the crash, that the aircraft broke up while still airborne. The stresses on the airframe had exceeded those for which it was designed. Once it began to disintegrate, those forces began stronger, ripping the plane apart.

Contrary to what some writers have suggested, there were no mystery wounds on Mantell's body, the aircraft was not riddled with nearly microscopic holes, or that outside forces knocked the plane from the sky. Mantell had made a tragic mistake by climbing too high too fast. The lack of oxygen and oxygen equipment is what killed him.

Part 2