The Maury Island UFO Incident: The Story behind the Air Force’s first military plane crash

by Charlette LeFevre

  “It is the opinion of the accident board that an exhaust stack either burned or fell off exhausting flame into the engine cowl creating engine fire.

  “After leveling off at 10,000 feet on course Sgt. Mathews observed sparks flying over the bomb bay and believed the source to be the junction box and the main hydraulic reservoir in the bomb bay. Immediately thereafter the pilot called the engineer’s attention to the left engine which was on fire.”

  According to the flight engineer’s statement, flames were first seen emitting from the power section on the outboard side of the left engine.

  The fire extinguisher to the left engine was operated and the mixture control and fuel shut-off valves were cut off.

  The fire was next observed burning through the cowl flaps. Upon receiving the pilot’s order to abandon the aircraft, the flight engineer secured all the chutes for the crew, helped the pilot, co-pilot, and passenger fasten the parachutes to their harnesses, and then followed the passenger out of the aircraft.

  Lt. Brown quickly told Sgt. Taff how to pull the rip cord when he was sure he was clear of the ship and actually forcibly shoved him out of the plane into the night.” Taff related a good ten minutes had elapsed between the time he parachuted out at 10,000 ft. until the fire reached serious proportions and the plane started to dive.

  Woodrow D. Mathews, crew chief of the bomber reported helping Davidson and Brown into their parachutes and that at the time he jumped, flames from the blazing left engine were pouring into the cockpit. It was reported that Brown was “standing in the aisle ready to leave the plane “when Mathews himself jumped out.

  Brown was found outside the plane 50 yards away at the crash site with his parachute harness on. Matthews related that the only reason he could see that the officers did not get out was that the left wing might have crumpled, trapping them in the plane.

  T/4 Woodrow D. Mathews, crew chief of the bomber who put the parachute on Sgt. Taff saving his life was proposed for the Soldier’s Medal.

  The aircraft crashed at approximately an 80 degree angle into a heavily wooded area and exploded upon contact with the ground The outer panel of the left wing was found intact approximately 500 yards from the main point of impact.

  The wreckage was confined to an area approximately 150 long by 100 wide. - Air Rescue Service Final Report, McChord Field, Tacoma Washington, Aug. 4, 1947

  3:30 am - Seattle airway Traffic Control reported aircraft crash. State police were investigating. 3:32 am - Air Force requested Portland Airway contact with Army

  131c, the only Army aircraft in vicinity, on Channels “C” and “O” VHF. Channel “A” at Portland was inoperative”

  3:39 am Portland Airways advised that Portland Tower reported crash to be B-25. 3:41 am Air Force called Chief of Police in Kelso Washington. Office advised aircraft crashed at 02:35am. State Police and Kelso Police are searching.

  3:42 am Portland Tower reported that Chief of Police in Kelso stated that crash was still burning.

  4:19 am Chief of Police Kelso reported crash and location. “Aircraft crashed, burst into flames, and burned rapidly.

  5:00 am Captain Manschneider advised he had contacted Maj. Sanders, McChord Information Officer and is handling press releases.

  5:15 am – Seattle Airway Traffic control called for cross check of available information.

  5:25 am - Chief of Police, Kelso calls McChord and reported no luck in finding aircraft.

  5:45 am Hamilton Flight Service requested passenger list as filed with Base Operations Office. 6:32 am Sheriff at Kelso WA called AF with latest information. The AF requested that no information be released to the press by either the Sheriff’s office or the Kelso Police Dept.

  8-9:20 am- Arnold and Smith informed of Crash. Crisman called Arnold to inform him of a plane crash that he had just heard over the radio. Smith stated to the FBI that it was approximately 8am. Crisman believed it was the B-25 bomber the one Davidson and Brown were flying. “Did you hear over the radio this morning that a B-25 exploded and crashed some twenty minutes after take-off from McChord Field about 1:30 this morning? I think you and I know who was aboard that plane._ COS p,58 Arnold remembered Capt. Smith was ready to take a bath and came out of the tub still wet on hearing news of the crash. Smith grabbed the phone and heard Crisman repeat the information. Arnold commented that Capt. Smith became quite pale after listening to Crisman. Capt. Smith called McChord and verified the crash but no other details.

  Arnold turned on the radio but the news by then had passed the news of the crash.

  Smith called Morello and said he would stop by his office after the AF contacted them.

  Crisman came to the hotel.

  Call to Palmer - Arnold called Palmer to say he wanted out of this situation and investigation. Arnold offered to give back the $200 expense money and drop the story. Arnold felt the plane crash and the two lives lost had a direct connection to the Maury Island sighting. Palmer told Arnold to keep the money and that it would probably be best to drop the investigation. Palmer warned Arnold and Smith not to carry any of the fragments aboard his plane and suggested that if we wanted to keep any to mail them to ourselves or to him. He advised him to prevent Smith from taking any fragments. Smith, standing by and listening, got the impression that the editor was no longer interested in the story after hearing about the crash and angrily took the phone from Arnold and shouted to Palmer that this was a serious situation and that the editor better “shed some light” on the matter. Ken Arnold took the receiver back. Crisman also wanted to speak to Palmer and was “jockeying for the phone.” “I’ll substantiate it! “ I’ll give him the facts!” What Happened in Room 502? Arnold handed the phone to Crisman who Arnold would write that Crisman wanted to assure Palmer the B-25 had crashed. Ray Palmer would later state he recognized the voice and was positive that it was the same voice that had called him long distance on the occasions from various parts of the country. Arnold had been lucky to reach Palmer as that day was Palmer’s birthday.

  Call to Chicago - Smith then called reporter Maurice Roddy, an aviation editor for the Chicago Times and personal friend of Smith, and told Roddy the story of what had occurred. Roddy expressed interest but said that without confirmation from the AAF they couldn’t do much. Smith had just hung up when a Colonel from McChord Field called and asked if they would be available later for questioning. The Colonel confirmed the room number and hung up.

  Also, that morning, Col. Gregg of McChord Field called Arnold's room and asked, "that Arnold, Smith, Crisman, and Dahl submit their addresses to Hamilton Field for convenience of any Army investigation of the incident which may be forthcoming.”

  11 am-noon – The second of five anonymous calls was placed to Tacoma Times reporter Paul Lantz and advised that there had been a big meeting in 502, that the B-25 was carrying disc fragments and that “McChord Field officials had stated it was shot down or sabotaged. Lantz then went to the Winthrop to see if the anonymous caller was the hotel’s switchboard operator and then went to Arnold’s room where Arnold could provide no additional information.

  Staying at the Hotel for Lunch - Given the aspect that Arnold and Smith had to be reached for questioning they decided to have lunch at the hotel where they were joined by Dahl.

  During the lunch, Dahl said something to the effect that “You two have nothing to worry about.” This reminded Smith of what Brown had said the night previously, and seemed to him to link Dahl to the bugging of Room 502 and the anonymous calls. – Room 502 It is likely lunch took a somber tone with thoughts of what would happen to them. Arnold and the others could imagine everything from loss of their jobs, prison sentences involved with this event, conspiracy to commit fraud, sabotage, and loss of Government Property, charges or implication in murder…

  At one point, Smith excused himself from the table and attempted to make a call to an acquaintance, FBI agent Bobbitt of the Portland Field office. Bobbitt was unavailable and it appears Smith did not attempt to again contact the
FBI office.

  3:30 pm Tacoma Times reporter Paul Lantz called Arnold to gain some information but Arnold declined. The Note under the door – All four were back in the hotel room 502 when an envelope was pushed silently under the door. Both Crisman and Dahl turned white until Arnold picked it up and read the letter. It was a notice from the management that there was an imminent strike of the “Cooks, Waitresses and Bartender’s Union, Local 61, AF of L” at the hotel. No meals or room services would be provided and the switchboard would only be open for emergency calls. The strike was scheduled for that day Friday at midnight but staff would work until the end of shift Sat. 7am. Only essential service would be provided by management. For safety reasons, the elevators would not be in service. Arnold became annoyed and phoned the desk and asked to speak with the manager. “We’re expecting important calls here, it may relate to national security.” Arnold eventually came to some kind of arrangement with the hotel desk. The clerk assured Arnold that military call would go through.

  The tone of the room was strained so Dahl and Crisman left and decided to put the boat trip off until the military had contacted them. 5:30pm – The third of five calls by anonymous informant placed to United Press Wireman (Ted Morello). Caller stated the B-25 that crashed was carrying disc fragments and that McChord Field and officers were Capt. Davidson and Lt. Brown, A-2 Intelligence officers. (before names were officially released).

  Caller stated that the Army would verify his information was accurate, as the Army had not released the names. Caller said fragments were top-secret material. - FBI Report 8/19/47.

  6:45 pm - Fourth of five calls by anonymous informant to UP Ted Morello. Informant again would state B-25 was definitely shot down and that if asked, the Army Intelligence Officers would not deny it. Morello thought the informant said to contact Colonel Guys but it was discovered it was Colonel Gregg who was in charge of Army Intelligence A-2. Civilians and the sheriff had been kept away from the wreckage with the army guarding it.

  Arnold and Smith had dinner inside the hotel. Upon returning to their room, they checked the desk where they had a phone call from Ted Morello. Smith called Morello back at the room and they contacted him at KMO, a Tacoma radio station that Morello was associated with. Morello refused to talk with Smith until he had left the room and called from a pay phone. Smith did this but thought Morello was being overly theatrical.

  “You’ll change your tune when you hear this,” said Morello. “I had another one of those anonymous calls. He said he had proof that the B-25 had been followed shortly after takeoff from McChord, and was downed by a 20mm cannon. It also said that both you and that private flier, Arnold, had similar attacks, but both missed somehow. Also that the January 26 crash, remember, Grace Moore and some Crown Prince (Gustaf Adolf of Sweden, second in line to the Swedish throne) and the May 29 one at La Guardia were done the same way. Now I phoned the FBI on this – had to—and they told me it was probably some nut, and not to broadcast it. Room 502

  Smith talked a bit with Morello and hung up, then returned to 502. Before he talked to Arnold, they went into the bathroom and turned on all the taps as a precaution – a procedure now that did not seem at all theatrical.

  10:45 pm - Arnold and Smith went to bed.

  Aug. 2, 1947 Saturday

  Arnold and Smith woke up to an early call from Maurice Roddy at the Tribune in Chicago. The Tribune was preparing a story on Venture Press including Maury Island and the B-25 crash, was looking to interview General Spaatz or Brig. General Schramm. Smith explained he couldn’t comment until he received the military questions. When Smith ended the phone call, he informed Arnold that Venture Press was a personal sideline of Ray Palmer with its latest claim to fame of finding the “long-lost Jesse James.”

  Arnold started to worry and called his brother in Boise asking him to visit their mother and explain that he might be in some news story but not to worry. Arnold next phoned a cable to his wife Doris that everything was ok and he would come home soon. Smith heard the wire being phoned in and asked perhaps as a cautionary procedure where Western Union was located. Arnold gave him the address of South 10th and Smith wrote it down.

  Arnold ran out of cigarettes and walked down to the lobby to get some more. He bought an Amazing Stories at the newsstand, which featured “The Star Kings.”

  The picket lines had started from the AF of L local and they were lined up all along Broadway and Commerce St. with just a skeleton crew on 9th. One staffer said “Sorry about this, sir.”

  The desk man mentioned they are asking all guests who remain to make their own beds.”

  Upon returning to the room and relaxing Smith and Arnold were briefly surprised when they heard on the radio Fred Crisman mentioned on the local Veteran’s program.

  Smith called McChord but was informed to “Sit tight, we’ll get around to you.”

  Noon – Call from Dahl asking to meet him up the street for lunch in a café. Fred Crisman said he would meet them there and show them the boat. By this time, Smith and Arnold were tired of waiting around for the military to call and agreed to meet Dahl.

  The made their way past the picket lines to a café on St. Helens St. Dahl and another man were sitting at a booth. Dahl introduced them but not the man who eventually left after they finished their discussion. When the man left, Crisman arrived and said, “All set?” After a small meal of coffee and toast, Arnold and Smith would then visit Crisman’s boat – the boat that Dahl supposedly was using during the UFO sighting.

  Crisman drove all four down Commerce St, across a bridge and turned left to an area a sign designated as “City Waterways.” They parked on D Street and walked to the pier. The boat was much smaller than what either Arnold or Smith expected; it looked like a tugboat. Smith inspected the boat for the damage supposedly caused by the flying saucer but was unimpressed by the evidence. A section of the rail was missing and the edges were sealed with layers of old paint. The deck cabin roof was whole and Smith couldn’t believe tons of rocks fell on the boat.

  Dahl ducked inside to talk to a man in coveralls who returned to work perhaps on the engine after Dahl whispered something to him. Arnold wrote that the “boat was gray in color, a very small type of partially enclosed inboard fishing boat. It in no way looked like a harbor patrol boat that I had seen in pictures” COS p. 62. Arnold and Smith both felt this wasn’t a seaworthy boat and wasn’t necessarily convinced of any evidence of repairs that was said to have occurred due to damage from the slag. Crisman would offer to have them visit his cabin where he believed his photos were but Arnold and Smith declined. Arnold was annoyed and not surprised that Crisman had not brought his Venture magazines as promised. This would be the last time Arnold and Smith would see Crisman.

  Dahl dropped them off at their hotel where they checked the desk and received a message from Paul Lantz of the Tacoma Times. When they called the Tacoma Times Smith told Lantz, they would be across the street at a coffee shop.

  When Lantz arrived, he wanted to know if they had any of the rock, the Times could take photographs of to run in a future story. Both Smith and Arnold declined to offer any slag as they thought it might be evidence. Lantz said both the Tacoma Times and the wire service were preparing to run a story on the previous meetings in Room 502 and again asked them to disclose the nature of the meetings. He was concerned he would be scooped on the news and promised to respect their requests for privacy but he had to know more information or he would run his articles with all he knew. Smith asked “All you know?” Lantz replied, “That’s just what I meant” and got up to leave and added, “Well, I just wanted to tell you beforehand.”

  On returning to the hotel, they received two non-emergency calls that were cut off by the switchboard operator. They had come from a Broadway or Proctor exchange when they quizzed the operator. – WH Rm. 502.

  Smith placed a wire to Roddy at the Western Union.

  They then waited at the Olympic Hotel at 815 Pacific St. informing the Winthrop they would be th
ere at Main 4161 if any messages came in. Dahl dropped by with the latest Tacoma Times with the headline in red ink:

  “SABOTAGE HINTED IN CRASH OF ARMY BOMBER AT KELSO” written by Paul Lantz.

  The mystery of the ‘Flying Saucers’ soared into prominence again Saturday when the Tacoma Times was informed that the crash of an army plane at Kelso may have been caused by sabotage.

  The Times’ informant, in a series of mysterious phone calls reported that the ship had been sabotaged ‘or shot down’ to prevent shipment of flying disk fragments to Hamilton Field, California for analysis.

  The disk parts were said by the informant to be those from one of the mysterious platters, which plunged to earth on Maury Island recently.

  Lending substance to the caller’s story is the fact that twelve hours before the Army released official identification, he correctly identified the dead in the crash to be Captain William L Davidson, pilot, and First Lieutenant Frank M Brown.

  Classified Material: At the same time, he informed the Times, Kenneth Arnold, Boise businessman who first sighted the flying saucers, and United Airlines Captain E. J. Smith, who also sighted them, were in secret conference in Room 502 at the Hotel Winthrop. A check confirmed the information but neither Smith nor Arnold would disclose the nature of the conference nor the reason for their being in Tacoma.

  According to the anonymous caller, platter fragments were loaded aboard a B-25 at McChord Field Friday for shipment to the California field. Half an hour after the takeoff, the plane crashed near Kelso, Washington. Two enlisted men: Master Sergeant Elmer L. Taff and Technician Fourth Grade Woodrow D. Mathews parachuted to safety.

  At McChord Field, an intelligence officer confirmed the mystery caller’s report that the ill-fated craft had been carrying ‘classified material’.

  Hint Sabotage: Major George Sander explained ‘Classified material means there was a somewhat secret cargo aboard the plane. No one was allowed to take pictures of the wreckage until the material was removed and returned to McChord Field.’ He declined to say what constituted ‘classified material.’ The theory of sabotage was borne out by the statement of the two crash survivors that one of the engines burst into flames and that regular fire apparatus installed in the engine for such emergencies failed to function.