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