Thread by @mrjeffknox

#ufotwitter #ufohistory
Today in UFO History - DC6-A Crew Take Evasive Action / Fireball
March 9, 1957 — Atlantic Ocean, 350mi NE of Jacksonville, Fl
1/4:33 a.m. Capt. Matthew A. Van Winkle, piloting a Pan American World Airways DC-6A airliner at a point over the Atlantic Ocean

2/approximately 350 miles northeast of Jacksonville, Florida, observes a “burning greenish white round object” to the right of the aircraft that appears to be on a collision course. Van Winkle pulls the plane upward in a climb to avoid the object. This sudden maneuver causes four

3/ of the passengers to be thrown out of their seats, resulting in injuries. Copilot Dion W. Taylor and Flight Engineer John Washuta also observe the object. Washuta says the UFO is a high-intensity light that appears to stand still for approximately four seconds until it is lost

4/ to sight during the evasive action. Ed Perry, piloting Pan Am Flight 269 about 175 miles behind him, also sees it. Miami Air Traffic Control sends a flash message to the Civil Aeronautics Board describing the incident: “Pilot took evasive action, object appeared to have a

5/brilliant greenish-white center with an outer ring which reflected the glow from the center. … Above description fits with what seven other flights saw…. Miami reports no missile activity…. Original reports of jet activity discounted.” The Air Force quickly explains the

6/sighting as a meteor, but the CAB declares it unexplained after a thorough investigation. [Eberhart]

Sources:
"Capt. Matthew Van Winkle Tells Hair Raising Story of Near Hit With Luminous Object",The Daily Reporter (Greenfield, In), March 11, 1957, pg.1;

Sources cont:
"Pilot Has To Dodge Fiery Body in Sky", The Calgary Albertan, March 11, 1957, pg.5;
"Three Injured as Pilot Avoids Fiery Object", The Daily Telegram (Eau Claire, WI), March 11, 1957, pg.12;

Sources cont.:
"Airliner Misses Unidentified Flying Object", Oroville Mercury Register (Oroville, CA), March 11, 1957, pg.2;
"Flying Object Which Nearly Collided With Airliner Described As "Brilliant Flash", Palladium-Item (Richmond, In), March 11, 1957, pg.2;

Sources cont.:
"Pilot Says Flying Object No Meteor", Muncie Evening Press (Muncie, In), March 11, 1957, pg.1;
“Pan American Airliner Case Still Unsolved, Says CAB,” UFO Investigator 1, no. 1 (July 1957): 16-17;
Frank Edwards, FS Serious Business, Bantam ed., 1966, pp. 38;

Sources cont.:
"The UFO evidence: Under review: March 9, 1957", SUNLite Volume 5 No. 1 (January-February 2013), pg.31-32;
Donald Keyhoe, Flying Saucers: Top Secret, pp. 53–56;
Michael Swords, et al., UFOs and Government, pg. 245–246;
Timothy Good, Above Top Secret, pp. 282–283;

NICAP, “DC6-A Crew Take Evasive Action”;
[111page Blue Book File w/other newsclips, CAB report, multiple other meteor sightings by pilots that night, etc..]
nicap.org/570309jacksonv…

Mike Swords File, 57C:
[Excerpt from Official UFO, Loren Gross, Tacker, Menzel, UFO Evidence, James McDonald, and coverage of the Brosdal sighting a few weeks later]
ufohistoryfiles.com/wp-content/upl…

Read about more Hit and Misses in Frank Edwards book Chapter 3 here:
archive.org/details/flying…

Actual plane, called "Clipper Westwind" when with Pan Am, which was later owned by Hawaiian Airlines, and turned into a Die-Cast Model toy. Color photo at start of thread is the actual plane from this incident.
rzjets.net/aircraft/?reg=…

aerialvisuals.ca/AirframeDossie…

Die cast model of the plane involved in this incident:
flyingmule.com/products/GJ-GJ…