In the early morning of July 24, 1948, two Eastern Air Lines pilots, Capt. Clarence Chiles and First Officer John Whitted, reported a close encounter with a wingless, torpedo-shaped object over Alabama. The craft, which glowed with an intense light from within, passed their DC-3 at high speed before vanishing into the clouds.1 The sighting was one of the seminal cases for the U.S. Air Force's early UFO investigations and briefly led some officials to consider an extraterrestrial explanation.2
The Encounter
At approximately 2:45 AM, while flying at 5,000 feet near Montgomery, the pilots observed a dull red glow approaching them head-on.3 As it drew closer, they saw it was a massive, cigar-shaped vehicle with two rows of square windows emitting a brilliant light. The object passed them on the right, less than half a mile away, revealing a blue glow on its underside and a 50-foot orange-red flame trailing from its rear.4 One of the plane's 20 passengers also reported seeing a bright streak of light pass his window.1
Investigation and Aftermath
The pilots' detailed report was taken seriously by Project Sign, the Air Force's ongoing UFO study. The initial intelligence analysis, including a corroborating report from a ground observer at Robins Air Force Base, concluded the object was an unknown craft, with some analysts favoring an extraterrestrial origin.2 However, this "Estimate of the Situation" was famously rejected by Air Force Chief of Staff General Hoyt S. Vandenberg.5 The official explanation was later revised to a meteor, a conclusion that both Chiles and Whitted strongly disputed.4