Kentucky Air National Guard’s Capt. Thomas F. Mantell, Jr., died when his F-51 crashed after chasing what he called, in one of his last radio transmissions, "a metallic object” in the sky

It all started on J­anuary 7, 1948, when Kentucky Air National Guard’s Capt. Thomas F. Mantell, Jr., died when his F-51 crashed after chasing what he called, in one of his last radio transmissions, "a metallic object” in the sky.

Pilots were afraid to fly the local area as they feared flying saucers were going to blow them out of the air by space weapons. The US Navy then released a report stating that they were conducting a secret balloon experiment as part of the Skyhook project, which purpose was to measure radiation levels in the upper atmosphere.

They also stated that Mantel was flying above 25,000 feet, a dangerous altitude to the type of aircraft he was piloting. They also reported Mantell passing out due to the lack of oxygen and losing control of his aircraft, and crashing to his death.

Till this day, Thomas Mantell remains as one of the most mysterious UFO incidents in the history of the phenomenon. What did Thomas crashed into? A balloon? Or a real UFO? We might never known, unless we search for the truth.

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