IDENTIFYING STRANGE OBJECT OVER KEY FIELD
Meridian, April 15 (Special) — Not that they were afraid of being criticized or disbelieved, but members of the 153rd Fighter Squadron Thursday would neither confirm nor deny the identity of the object sighted at 8:26 Wednesday night (4/l2) as a flying saucer.
However, several pilots confirmed sighting an unidentified object “of extreme speed,” identified only by a white flickering light, not a normal aircraft light, as it raced south southeastward.
The object, “definitely out of the propeller type aircraft classification,” due to its speed, was seen but for 15 seconds during its flight near Key Field.
Several F-47 Air National Guard fighter planes were in the air and were radioed to proceed toward the southeast quadrant to get a view of the lighted but otherwise unidentified flying object.
The planes were in the area within 30 seconds, but failed to sight the intruder; the object was at an estimated 2,500 feet altitude.
The lighted object followed a straight course bearing southward and slightly eastward in a horizontal plane, indicating that it was a piloted or controlled object rather than a meteor.
“It was definitely not propeller driven due to the speed,” veteran pilots observed. “It could have been a jet plane but there was no sound, and there were no required red and green running lights and the flickering white light streak was unexplained. Also, jets generally fly at a much higher altitude.”
Officials at the Field were not commenting.
PROJECT 1947 Comment: This incident is not to be found in the Project Blue Book archives.
