| Wreckage from the first crash of an Air Force | | | | the next twenty-four hours. According to |
| Aircraft on August 1, 1947 seems like | | | | witnesses, Captain Davidson and Lt Brown |
| something that only the military might be | | | | boarded a B-25 with a box of material from |
| interested in. Or maybe not. Much of the | | | | their investigation and took off from McChord |
| original wreckage was left to rust in the | | | | Field with two other crew members. Shortly |
| forest and no recent attempts have been made | | | | afterward, their left engine caught fire and |
| to relocate or recover it by any branch of | | | | the fire fighting system malfunctioned. After |
| the Military. Instead, civilians have been | | | | ordering the other crew members to bail out, |
| looking for pieces from the crashed B-25 for | | | | Davidson and Brown were trapped when the |
| years. That's because the crash site near | | | | aircraft began to collapse around them. Both |
| Kelso, Washington, may contain material | | | | perished in the crash. This was the very |
| that's simply out of this world After ten | | | | first crash of an Air Force plane because it |
| years of searching, Jim Greer located pieces | | | | happened on the day that the Air Force |
| from the B25 in a ravine near Goble Creek | | | | officially separated from the Army. It's |
| east of Kelso. He has turned some of the | | | | ironic that the crash may have been directly |
| material over to the Museum of Mysteries in | | | | linked to the UFO phenomenon. An article in |
| Seattle. Their interest is in the paranormal | | | | the Tacoma Times claimed that the B-25 was |
| aspects of the crash. That's because the | | | | shot down by a 20mm canon or sabotaged to |
| aircraft was carrying two Officers that | | | | keep the material salvaged from the Maury |
| participated in the investigation of a | | | | Island event from being examined at Fort |
| Washington UFO incident and material from | | | | Hamilton. After the B-25 crash and the Men in |
| that investigation. 1947 is a memorable year | | | | Black incident involving Dahl, the two |
| for UFO enthusiasts. The saucer sightings by | | | | witnesses became concerned for the safety of |
| Kenneth Arnold in the State of Washington and | | | | their families. When Arnold and Smith came to |
| UFO crash or crashes in New Mexico tend to | | | | view the boat that Dahl said was damaged by |
| dominate our attention. It's easy to forget | | | | the falling debris, Captain Smith expressed |
| that over 850 sightings of a credible nature | | | | some doubts. He felt that repairs on the |
| were reported by U.S. Newspapers. These | | | | vessel were inconsistent with the kind of |
| include amazing events alleged to have | | | | damage that was originally reported. Rather |
| occurred near Maury Island in Washington. | | | | than explain that whole sections were |
| Real or imagined, those events and their | | | | replaced, Dahl simply told Smith that he was |
| aftermath reveal a stunning cover-up that has | | | | no longer going to cooperate with the |
| never been fully investigated or explained. | | | | investigation and just wanted to be left |
| Harold Dahl, his son Charles, the family dog | | | | alone. Some reports say that the two |
| and two crew members were on a patrol boat | | | | witnesses admitted it was all a hoax, but |
| looking for salvage logs in the Puget Sound | | | | neither Dahl or Crisman ever admitted making |
| on June 21, 1947. They were just off Maury | | | | such statements. Another report said that the |
| Island (today called Vashon Island) when the | | | | material Dahl and Crisman presented to the |
| UFO incident began. The group witnessed six | | | | investigators was just worthless slag from a |
| 'donut-shaped' craft above their position. | | | | local smelter. Apart from the fact that there |
| Harold said that the objects were about one | | | | was nothing in it for Dahl or Crisman to |
| hundred feet in diameter and had a 'bright | | | | create a hoax and both had more to lose than |
| metallic' appearance. Five of the crafts were | | | | gain, there is some evidence to support their |
| circling a sixth which Dahl said was | | | | side of the story: - FBI Teletype from J. |
| 'wobbling' and seemed to be in distress. | | | | Edgar Hoover, 8/14/47: "It would also appear |
| After some sort of an explosion, the sixth | | | | that Dahl and Crisman did not admit the hoax |
| craft discharged a large quantity of debris. | | | | to the army officers..." - Return Teletype to |
| The debris resembled cooled volcanic lava, | | | | Hoover from Special Agent George Wilcox: |
| had an aluminum-like appearance and fell in | | | | "Please be advised that Dahl did not admit |
| the form of large flakes. These flakes hit | | | | that his story was a hoax but only stated |
| and damaged their boat, injured Charles and | | | | that if questioned by authorities he was |
| killed the family dog. Afterward, all the | | | | going to say it was a hoax because he did not |
| objects rose rapidly into the sky and took | | | | want any further trouble over the matter." - |
| off in the direction of the ocean. Dahl | | | | In the January 1950 edition of FATE Magazine, |
| headed to Maury Island where he stopped to | | | | Fred Crisman called allegations that he |
| assess the damage to his boat and take | | | | admitted the case was a hoax a "bald-faced |
| photos. Finding more debris, he collected it | | | | lie." - Neither Ray Palmer or Kenneth Arnold |
| and then proceeded to Tacoma. After taking | | | | ever said the case was a hoax. Even stranger |
| his son to the emergency room, Dahl reported | | | | were the events that occurred after the |
| the entire incident to Fred Crisman, the | | | | investigation by Arnold, Smith, Davidson and |
| harbor patrol supervisor. Crisman didn't | | | | Brown: - The crash of the B25 is surrounded |
| believe him, so he returned to the area on | | | | by allegations of sabotage or downing by |
| Maury Island which Dahl described. Crisman | | | | friendly fire. - The crash of Kenneth |
| found what seemed like tons of the strange | | | | Arnold's airplane under mysterious |
| material along the shoreline. While picking | | | | circumstances on August 3, 1947. He was |
| up some of it, he said that an object | | | | almost killed and later claimed his aircraft |
| appeared and dropped more. Meanwhile, Dahl | | | | had been sabotaged. - The untimely and |
| was visited by a "man in a dark suit" the | | | | mysterious death of Paul Lance, the Tacoma |
| next day. The man told Dahl that he saw | | | | Times Reporter who claimed that the B25 might |
| something he was not supposed to see and | | | | have been purposely brought down by |
| warned him not to discuss it. Just three days | | | | government operatives. He died two weeks |
| after the Maury Island incident, Kenneth | | | | after the article appeared in print. No |
| Arnold reported seeing a formation of strange | | | | actual cause of death could be determined. - |
| looking objects traveling at incredible | | | | The sudden death of Ted Morrello, the United |
| speeds near Mount Rainer, Washington. Because | | | | Press reporter who called Arnold just after |
| Arnold was a former military aviator and | | | | the Dahl Meeting claiming full knowledge of |
| well-respected private pilot, the press | | | | the proceedings. - The closing of The Tacoma |
| jumped all over his sighting. Arnold was | | | | Times which went out of business shortly |
| later contacted by Ray Palmer, editor of | | | | after the article about the B25 was |
| Amazing Stories. The two discussed his | | | | published. Unlike most hoaxes, the Maury |
| sighting, became friends and forged a working | | | | Island UFO incident is not unique among |
| relationship. United Airlines Captain E. J. | | | | sighting or physical evidence cases. The |
| Smith was a friend of Kenneth Arnold, but | | | | scene originally described by Dahl has been |
| initially skeptical of his sighting until he | | | | repeated many times. Several objects are seen |
| had one of his own. During a flight from | | | | together, one crashes or is in distress and |
| Boise, Idaho, to Tacoma, Washington on July | | | | others assist. Strange material is ejected, |
| 4, 1947, Smith noticed a formation of | | | | dropped or simply deposited. The material can |
| saucer-shaped objects near his aircraft. They | | | | be metallic, fibrous or even biological. |
| first appeared just after 9pm, then vanished | | | | There are many reasons for anyone interested |
| and reappeared several times for over | | | | in UFOs to take a second look at this case. |
| forty-five minutes. Captain Smith, Co-Pilot | | | | Including the military response to the crash. |
| Ralph Stevens and Stewardess Marty Morrow all | | | | Robert Davenport of Kelso, Washington, was |
| saw them. The importance of the Arnold and | | | | one of the first people to view the B-25 |
| Smith sightings cannot be stressed enough. | | | | crash site. He said that small fires were |
| These witnesses were experienced pilots, not | | | | still burning due to all the unused fuel when |
| starry-eyed civilians looking at something in | | | | he and a few others found the wreckage. When |
| the sky that a trained observer might | | | | the military arrived they expelled everyone, |
| immediately recognize as commonplace. That | | | | sealed 150 acres around the crash site and |
| would make any opinions they had about the | | | | took over the area for about a week. They |
| Maury Island UFO incident all the more | | | | used part of Davenport's land as a base camp. |
| important. Their involvement began with a | | | | Despite combing through debris and moving |
| letter to Ray Palmer from Fred Crisman. | | | | some larger pieces to an open field for |
| Palmer quickly contacted Arnold and asked him | | | | further inspection, the bulk of the crash |
| to investigate the Maury Island story. Arnold | | | | material was left behind. This seems strange |
| agreed, but asked Smith to help. He also | | | | for an investigation involving the very first |
| contacted the military and requested that | | | | crash of an Air Force plane. It appeared that |
| they send investigators to be present during | | | | they were more interested in looking for |
| the initial interviews. Arnold and Smith | | | | something in the aircraft than trying to |
| arrived in Tacoma and met with Harold Dahl at | | | | determine the cause of the crash. It's |
| the Winthrop Hotel on July 31, 1947. Also | | | | doubtful that the validity of the Maury |
| present were a Captain Davidson and 1st Lt. | | | | Island UFO incident will ever be resolved to |
| Frank Brown. Crisman showed up with cereal | | | | anyone's satisfaction. It's also unlikely |
| boxes filled with material from the Island | | | | that any of the material from that event will |
| which he presented to the Military Officers. | | | | ever be recovered from the B-25 crash site. |
| In a hurry to return to Hamilton Field for | | | | However, it's important to remember that |
| Air Force Inauguration Day, Davidson and | | | | Maury Island occurred before the Arnold |
| Brown left the hotel just after midnight. Air | | | | sighting, before Roswell and is certainly |
| Force Inauguration Day was the day that the | | | | surrounded by unusual circumstances and |
| Air Force officially became a separate branch | | | | unresolved issues. Whether the actual |
| of the military. After the session with Dahl | | | | sighting occurred or never happened, you have |
| was completed, Arnold returned to his hotel | | | | to be amazed by the response of the |
| room. He almost immediately received a call | | | | government within a government. Visit for |
| from Ted Morello, a United Press reporter. | | | | more UFO and Paranormal News, Information and |
| Morello seemed to know everything that went | | | | Commentary. |
| on in the hotel room where the impromptu | | | | |
| investigative had taken place and wanted a | | | | Author: Bill Knell Author's Website: Terms To |
| comment about it. Arnold was upset and | | | | Use Article: Permission is granted to use |
| suspected a hidden microphone had been used | | | | this article for free online or in print with |
| to obtain the information. That wasn't the | | | | the addition of a link to or that URL |
| only surprise Arnold was to experience during | | | | printed with the article. |