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   SUBJECT: KECKSBURG CRASH CONTROVERSIAL                       FILE: UFO1290   
      
      
   NEWS CLIPPING SERVICE   
      
   DATE OF ARTICLE:  May 6, 1989   
   SOURCE OF ARTICLE:  Bulletin   
   LOCATION:  Latrobe, Pennsylvania   
   BYLINE:  Kim Opatka   
   ========================================================   
   (C) Copyright 1989 ParaNet Information Service   
   All Rights Reserved.   
   THIS FILE WAS PROVIDED BY THE UFO NEWSCLIPPING SERVICE   
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   KECKSBURG CRASH CONTROVERSIAL   
      
   By Kim Opatka   
   Bulletin Staff Writer   
      
        This  final  article  in a six-part series  on  unidentified   
   flying  objects (UFOS) examines one of the most talked about  and   
   controversial  incidents  in the area,  what has  been  termed  a   
   meteorite by some and an alien craft by others,  which crashed in   
   Kecksburg December 9, 1965.   
        The  object  was first seen streaking across the  sky,  with   
   thousands  from Michigan to New York witnessing a brilliant  ball   
   of  fire which left a smoke trail,  visible for about 20  minutes   
   after it passed.   
        Many,  including pilots who observed it,  thought it was  an   
   aircraft  which was on fire.   Reports of debris from the  object   
   were made in many states,  and an Ohio fire department was called   
   to extinguish 10 small fires in an area where witnesses said they   
   saw flaming fragments falling from the sky.   
        Shock waves were reported by pilots,  and a seismograph near   
   Detroit  recorded  a shock,  wrote investigator Stan  Gordon,  of   
   Pennsylvania Association for the Study of the Unexplained  (PASU)   
   in a recent journal article.  The crash has been a pet project of   
   the Greensburg man "since the night it happened," he said, noting   
   he is still trying to obtain information on the incident.   
        Although  the  military  eventually  labeled  the  object  a   
   meteor,  as  did  the Associated Press account published  in  The   
   Bulletin  the day after the crash,  Gordon says recent  evidence,   
   including the discovery of a man who saw the object, supports the   
   idea that the object was a true UFO.   
        "I  was  a teen-ager then," said John (not his  real  name).   
   "It was in the early part of December and there was a little snow   
   and a little rain, and mud."   
        He  was called to the scene after the 4:44 p.m.  crash as  a   
   fireman from the Latrobe area, to search for the crashed object.   
        "I had seen a fiery object in the sky.   I can't say exactly   
   which direction but it was coming from the north.  It was not too   
   much longer and the fire whistle went off," he said.  "I answered   
   the  call  and was told they needed a search team because at  the   
   time they believed it was a downed aircraft.   And I thought, 'My   
   God, this is what I have just seen'."   
        When firemen arrived at the Kecksburg Fire Hall,  maps  were   
   reviewed and groups were given sections to search.   
        "It  was getting semi-dusk and we had flashlights.   We were   
   taken in the back of a truck and dropped off and told to go 'this   
   way'  which  we  did.   I was not on the  initial  contact  team.   
   Another team found the object.   
        "It was definitely, unequivocally, positively, absolutely no   
   aircraft,  plane,  helicopter  or  rocket,  at least  not  to  my   
   knowledge.   It was in an area that was part field and part woods   
   and we went down to investigate," he said.   
        "We found the object had crashed at a 30 to 40 degree angle,   
   and had broken off numerous tree branches in its impact path.  My   
   initial  reaction  was  'This  is no airplane.'   I  observed  no   
   shrapnel,  no  breaking  up of the fuselage.   It was  one  solid   
   piece, no doors, no windows.   
        "Preliminary searches found no bodies or casualties.  It was   
   shaped like an acorn,  laying on its side,  like the acorn nut is   
   in  its shell when it's on a tree," he explained.   "I've been  a   
   machinist  for 24 years and I've worked with a tremendous  amount   
   of different metals, and I have never seen any type of metal that   
   looked even close to that."   
        John said the object was not broken, "not even cracked, just   
   dented a bit.   It did not give off smoke,  steam or  vapors,  at   
   least none that we could see."   
        Reports  from neighbors in the area said it had given off  a   
   faint trail of blue smoke, which disappeared after the crash.   
        He  described  the portion visible as between eight  and  10   
   feet long,  six and seven feet across,  and said a man of average   
   height  would probably have had little trouble standing up inside   
   it.   The  crater it plowed into the ground was  "rectangular  in   
   shape."   
        John  said the state police were there and the area was soon   
   quarantined.   
        "They  drove us out.   It was late at night when we  finally   
   got  back to the fire hall and it had been completely taken  over   
   by  the  military.    They  were  carrying  in  large  pieces  of   
   equipment,  radios  and such,  and they had armed  guards  posted   
   outside  so nobody could get in or out.   The firemen were thrown   
   out.  We weren't even allowed in to use the bathroom.   
        "The  military  had control of the  whole  operation,"  John   
   recalled.   "After  a while we saw a flat bed truck come by  with   
   some other military equipment, a crane or something.   
        "It  was not too much longer,  an hour,  an hour and a half,   
   when  the  trucks came back and there was a large object  on  the   
   back of the flat bed,  covered by a tarp,  with military  escorts   
   front and back.  I got the feeling that if you had stepped on the   
   road you were dead meat.  They weren't stopping for anything."   
        Although  the object was later said to be a meteorite,  John   
   doesn't buy that explanation.   
        "It had writing on it,  not like your average  writing,  but   
   more  like  ancient  Egyptian hieroglyphics.   It had sort  of  a   
   bumper on it,  like a ribbon about six to 10 inches wide,  and it   
   stood  out.   It  was  elliptical the whole way  around  and  the   
   writing  was on this bumper.   It's nothing like I've ever  seen,   
   and  I'm an avid reader.   I read a lot of books  on  Egypt,  the   
   Incas, Peruvians, Russians and I've never to this day come across   
   anything that looked like that."   
        John notes that later it was denied that the object was even   
   a meteorite, and the military "denied they were even in the area.   
   But I know there were Air Force and Army personnel involved.   It   
   was like they just came out of the woodwork."   
        Gordon's  research  has revealed that one  of  the  military   
   groups  involved was most likely to be the 662nd Radar  Squadron,   
   based  at  the Oakdale Armory,  located near  Greater  Pittsburgh   
   International Airport.   
        The  squadron  was  found  to be under the  control  of  the   
   Aerospace Defense Command, and attempts to get information on the   
   Kecksburg crash, through the Freedom of Information Act, have not   
   provided much to go on.   
        One  response said there had been no record of the  squadron   
   being activated on that date,  Gordon said, wondering how so much   
   equipment  and  personnel could be activated  while  the  monthly   
   report showed no entry on Dec. 9.   
        Through his research, Gordon says he knows the Air Force was   
   still investigating UFO cases at the public level then,  and that   
   it was apparently the Project Blue Book staff which contacted the   
   662nd squadron.  Subsequent reports have led him to theorize that   
   even  the  Project Blue Book staff was not made aware of  objects   
   which   could   "affect  national  security,"   and   that   some   
   intelligence   teams  investigated  crashes  of  "foreign   space   
   vehicles."   
        Another  strange  occurrence that night,  Gordon  said,  was   
   reports  by  some  civilians that  radiation  was  released.   He   
   explained  that some children playing in the area had  reportedly   
   been told by military personnel that that was a possibility,  and   
   men  in  decontamination suits were allegedly seen  at  the  site   
   later the next day.   
        Although  he has considered the possibility that the  object   
   could  have  been  space debris or a  test  device,  Gordon  says   
   documents  and evidence obtained in the last few years lead  more   
   in the direction of it being a "true UFO."   
        John concurs.   
        "It was definitely not of this planet.   At the time I was a   
   skeptical  teen,  but when you see something like that you  don't   
   forget  it.   When  you  get called out like that from  the  fire   
   department you think you're going out looking for an aircraft  of   
   some sort, not a UFO.   
        "I'll  never forget it.   I still want to know what the hell   
   it was."   
      
   =================================================================   
   8/89   
      
                    
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