Project Blue Book file, RB-47, July 17, 1957

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

# SCIENTISTS SAY NEAR COLLISIONS MAY INVOLVE SPACE VEHICLES

## Congressmen Investigate Cases

The possibility that spaceships may be involved in some near collisions on airways has been publicly stated by Dr. Clyde Tombaugh, discoverer of the planet Pluto, and Nathan Wagner, missile flight chief for the White Sands Proving Ground.

The two scientists made this suggestion after news reports on recent near collisions including two close brushes by American Airlines and Trans-World Airlines planes over Texas.

Of special interest is the fact that several Congressmen participated in the hearing conducted by American Airlines and that Representative Harry G. Haskell, Jr., (R.-Delaware) made an investigation of the TWA case. To date, none of the Congressmen has made any statement on either case.

In the first case, a DC-6 aircoach with 85 persons aboard barely overted collision in early morning darkness with what news stories called "a mysterious unidentified aircraft." Two persons were hospitalized and several shaken up when Captain Ed Bachner dived the airliner to avoid a collision.

In the second incident, several of the 34 passengers aboard a TWA Constellation airliner were thrown into the aisles and two suffered minor injuries when Captain G. M. Schemel dived 500 feet to avoid hitting an unidentified object. Schemel told investigators he had no idea what the object was.

The suggestions that space vehicles were sighted were made in statements to the El Paso TIMES.

"I don't want to start a scare," said missile safety chief Wagner, "but I would say it is a reasonable position to take to say that such a craft might have been involved in some accidents."

Astronomer Clyde Tombaugh, former head of the Armed Forces search for unknown natural satellites, stated the same opinion.

"It is not at all out of the question," Dr. Tombaugh said, "that the phenomena observed by these airline pilots may be related to the question of space travel."

The Civil Aeronautics Board informed NICAP just before this issue went to press that the objects in both cases were still unidentified. But there is reliable evidence explained later which indicates that the American Airlines incident was a conventional near-collision between airliners.

The TWA case, however, seems at this time to be a bona fide UFO encounter. The facts as related by TWA Captain G. M. Schemel and as stated in a CAA "Near Miss Incident" report dated July 24, 1957, are as follows:

At about 2215C (10:15 pm Central Time) TWA Flight 21 en route from New York to Phoenix was flying at 18,000 feet over Amarillo, Texas. The airliner, a fourengine Constellation, was carrying 34 passengers. The sky was dark, with thin scattered clouds, and Captain Schemel was operating on IFR (under CAA Instrument Flight Regulations) although the visibility was 15 miles plus.

Suddenly considering the 15 mile visibility-an object with red and green lights appeared directly ahead. It was flying at the same altitude on what Captain Schemel called "a collision course."

"The object went overhead," Captain Schemel stated later. "I have no idea what it was."

According to the CAA report, eight passengers and two hostesses were injured:

"One elderly lady was thrown against the ceiling, receiving a bad head cut. Seven additional passengers and two hostesses received bad head bumps and bruised hips and legs."

Neither Captain Schemel nor his copilot would identify the unknown object as another aircraft. A check by the Amarillo CAA communications station showed that the only other known traffic was a USAF K-97, 45 miles east of Amarillo at 17,000 feet. This has been ruled out by the CAB (Civil Aeronautics Board) investigation and no conventional aircraft has been located as having been in the area.

In the AA (American Airlines) case, the CA8 has information almost positively identifying the "unknown" as an eastbound four-engine airliner.

The preliminary CAA near-miss report stated that an unidentified B-36 was involved. A later check showed that the nearest airborne B-36 was several hundred miles away. After a further check ruled out all military flights, it was discovered that a scheduled flight of an eastbound fourengine airliner was undoubtedly the

As correctly described in press-wire stories, the AA DC-6 aircoach with 85 aboard narrowly averted collision near Salt Flats, Texas, in the pre-dawn darkness of July 17, 1957.

Captain Ed Bachner dived the airliner from its 14,000-foot altitude when he saw a green light ahead. Ten passengers were injured when thrown from their seats. Though the weather was clear, the crew said the other aircraft appeared without warning.

"unknown" though no negligence was indicated.

A comparison of compass readings during a conference between the two airliner crews, convinced the two captains that the eastbound plane flying at 14,300 feet was the one involved. The CAB report will probably identify this plane in the next month or so.

Near collision reports average about three a day, according to the Civil Aeronautics Board.

The large majority are believed due to heavy airline traffic and efforts to solve the problem are being made by all involved groups.

However, several near-miss reports appear definitely linked with UFOs. In some cases the unknown objects have been reported as large as four-engine planes and official checks have proved no such aircraft were anywhere in the areas.

Also there are fully verified reports of UFOs approaching or pacing airliners. To name a few:

The famous Chiles-Whitted Eastern Airlines case in 1948 when a rocket shaped object with windows veered sharply to avoid collision.

The well-known Pan American encounter described by Captain William B. Nash (NICAPSpecial Adviser) when a formation of 100-foot discs flew under his DC-4 near Norfolk.

In all three of these cases the UFOs either veered to avoid collision or evaded the pilot's attempt to get closer. In the absence of contrary evidence, it still appears that any near-collisions with UFOs are accidental.

It is probable that the increase in conventional near-miss reports will speed the installation of anti-collision radar equipment on all airliners. If so, this may provide valuable data in regard to speeds and maneuvers of any UFOs encountered.

On the same day as the American Airlines near-miss case, Dr. Clyde Tombaugh told the Associated Press it was "sheerest egatism for man to believe that the universe was created for his special benefit, or even for life at all."

While there is no indication that this was connected with his later comment on the near collisions, it is encouraging to note that Dr. Tombaugh continues to make his convictions public.

Earlier this year Dr. Tombaugh stated he had seen several UFOs and added: "These things, which do appear to be directed, are unlike any other phenomena I have ever observed...No one so far has sure-fire, absolute proof...Other stars in our galaxy may have hundreds of thousands of inhabitable worlds. Races on these worlds may have been able to utilize the tremendous amounts of power required to bridge the space between the stars."