Mantell UFO Incident

Date: January 7, 1948 • Location: Franklin, United States

Air National Guard pilot Thomas Mantell, flying in pursuit of an alleged UFO, was killed when his P-51 Mustang crashed near Fort Knox, Kentucky.

The Kentucky Air National Guard (KY ANG) is the aerial militia of the U.S. state of Kentucky. It is a reserve of the United States Air Force and along with the Kentucky Army National Guard, an element of the Kentucky National Guard of the larger United States National Guard Bureau.