Project Blue Book documents on the Killian case, compiled by Dan Wilson

Read from the scan by GLM-OCR; expect the odd misread word.

# ON KILLIAN "SAUCER"?

# By Fred A. Kirsch

The Killian affair concerns theighting of three unidentified flying objects by several commercial airline crews and passengers while flying over Pennsylvania and Ohio on the night of February 25, 1950.

This particular UFO case has probably become the most published UFO case of last year. It is my belief that this was not a genuine UFO sighting. I will attempt to allow what really caused this sighting.

On the night of theighting, February 25, 1959, I received a telephone call at 9:25 P.M. We had been experimenting with a telephone net to be alerted in the event of a UPO sighting in the area. As soon as one person saw a UPO he would make several telephone calls, and it was hoped that others would be able to go outside in time to see the unidentified objects too. My caller informed me of the presence of UPO in the area and also of a call he had received from the United Flight Operations desk at Airven-Glaston Airport. A United flight had just landed there and reported having witnessed three UPOs. As the evening went on and in the telephone calls that followed, a more complete story emerged.

An American Airlines UFO piloted by Capt. Peter Killian had witnessed three UFOs for over 45 minutes while flying from Newark to Detroit. In addition to Capt. Killian's flight, two other American Airlines flights and three United Airlines flights, including the one that landed at

Akron-Canton Airport, also reported having witnessed the three UPO. There were also reports from witnesses on the ground in the Akron area that reported seeing three UPO.

Of all the aircraft involved, the most detailed account of the sighting came from Capt. Killian's flight Capt. Killian had first sighted three bright whitish lights in a single horizontal line to the south and above him at 8:45 P. M. He was frying at 9600 feet altitude and was between Philipsburg and Bradford, Pennsylvania on route to Detroit. Capt. Killian first pointed out the objects to his co-pilot, John Doe, and then he informed the 35 passengers of their presence. For the next 40 minutes they all watched the three lights. During this time the lights changed color from yellow to British white and their intensity varied from extreme brilliance to temporary fades. The lights did not change formation, however, they did vary in position relative to each other. The lights were described as being "round-like and every now and then one would glow brighter than the others as if it had moved nearer to the plane." Capt. Killian said, "Occasionally the rear yellow would lag behind. He would be almost double the distance between the other two." At one time Capt. Killian estimated that the lights were 20 to 25 miles distant. The three lights were finally lost in the lower-altitude base as the plane began to descend for its landing.

Commenting ha to what the 6b-