1948
HALL IV · January 7, 1948
Capt. Thomas Mantell
An F-51 pilot pursues an object and is killed
Godman Field, Kentucky
CURATOR'S WALL TEXT
LEVEL
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Kentucky Air National Guard pilot Capt. Thomas F. Mantell pursued an object reported by control-tower personnel at Godman Field. His F-51D climbed beyond its safe operating altitude without oxygen; the aircraft crashed and Mantell was killed. The Air Force ultimately attributed the object to a high-altitude Project Skyhook research balloon — a classified program at the time, which is why the initial investigators could not name it.
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