Documents / FOIA release
This is part five of the FBI's UFO file, a set of Bureau memoranda and reports from 1947 to 1949. Most of it covers the FBI's inquiry into the Maury Island flying disc story in Tacoma, which concluded that the disc fragments were ordinary rock formations and that the story was a hoax. It also examines the fatal crash of a B-25 at Kelso and finds no sign of sabotage. The file includes other items: the Rhodes disc photographs, a proposed flying saucer convention in Alexandria, Louisiana, and ash from a fire near Scranton that someone suggested came from a flying saucer.
“Ricks”1 page
Read from the scan by GLM-OCR; expect the odd misread word.
Subjoct: Final on Report (50) yards away. Flares were going off and he thought best to leave the scene. He heard a stream nearby and followed it until he came to a house and aroused the occupants. Soon TAPT arrived at the same house and, being uninjured, was driven into town. Then he led an ambulance to effect transportation of MATHERS to a hospital. Meanwhile, civilians reached the scene of the crash where they found one body. At 0930 PST, a message from Sq B informed that top secret material was in the navigators kit and to request Commanding Officer MCCHORD FIELD to expedite all available information to Commanding Officer HAVILTON FIELD. Meanwhile, CAPT FORSBERG and four (4) enlisted men departed KELSO at 0830 PST for scene of the crash. They were transported by the WASHINGTON STATE POLICE who knew the exact location of the plane (40°09'N - 122°43'W). The ground party determined upon arrival at the scene, that two (2) bodies were in the wreckage. Indications led to the belief that the co-pilot was afire when he left the plane an instant before impact. The pilot's remains were found in the wreckage. Preliminary investigation by CAPT FORSBERG disclosed the planes left wing about one hundred twenty-five (125) yards from the midly scattered portions of the plane. The left wing was intact and had apparently torn off just outboard of the left engine before impact. The forward portion of the wing stub was melted but the rear two thirds indicated that it and ripped loose from the inboard section of the wing. The wing leading edge was undamaged. The navigation and landing lights were unbroken. The aileron was undamaged but the flap section was crushed, leading to the belief that the wing struck the tail section. From these indications it is believed the wing ripped from the airplane just after MATHERS abandoned the plane. The resulting spin thus prevented the remaining crew members from bailing out although the co-pilot may have been in the hatch. A few civilians were in the area when CAPT FORSBERG arrived and he took precautions to prevent them from disturbing the wreckage. At 1157 PST CAPT LITTRELL flew CAPT RICK, M. C., to KELSO. An ambulance dispatched from MCCHORD FIELD, met them at KELSO, and was led to the scene of the crash by the STATE POLICE. The bodies were recovered and transported in the ambulance to MCCHORD FIELD. CAPT LITTRELL returned to MCCHORD FIELD where camping equipment was prepared to be dropped to the ground party. CAPT LITTRELL made a successful drop at dusk by sighting on a signal fire. The ground party set up camp at the wreckage scene to act as guard and to investigate further the following day. They were relieved of responsibility of all recovered documents by a CIC agent who had arrived about 1800 PST. b. 2 Aug 47. The ground party remained at the scene of the crash pending official securing of the incident. No aerial activity. o. 3 Aug 47. MCCORD FIELD Operations Officer departed at 1000 PSI to investigate the accident and to relieve CAPT FONGSARO, who returned at 1600 PSI. Incident closed.
FOIA release, from the fbi-vault collection. The PDF is mirrored here; the original link is above. The text was read from the page images by GLM-OCR; expect the odd misread word. 74 pages are in the text index: search them above, or from the library's search.