Kinross UFO Incident — The 433rd Fighter Interceptor Squadron and Truax Field
Kinross UFO Incident — The 433rd Fighter Interceptor Squadron and Truax Field
[edit | edit source]Overview
[edit | edit source]Both the aircraft and the crew that flew the Kinross intercept mission were assigned to the 433rd Fighter Interceptor Squadron (FIS) based at Truax Field in Madison, Wisconsin — not to Kinross AFB itself. Understanding the unit's identity, its home station, and the circumstances of its temporary deployment to Kinross is essential context for placing the incident accurately within the Air Defense Command structure of 1953.
The 433rd Fighter Interceptor Squadron
[edit | edit source]| Parameter | Detail |
|---|---|
| Unit designation | 433rd Fighter Interceptor Squadron |
| Home base | Truax Field (Truax Air Force Base), Madison, Wisconsin |
| Mission | Air defense interceptor operations; assigned to Air Defense Command |
| Aircraft type | F-89C Scorpion (all-weather jet interceptor) |
| Relationship to Kinross | Detachment stationed at Kinross AFB on temporary alert duty |
| Official designation of Kinross detachment | Detachment No. 1, 433rd Fighter Interceptor Squadron |
| Aircraft assigned to mission | F-89C serial 51-5853A; call sign Avenger Red |
The Air Force's own accident report specifically identifies the unit as "Detachment No. 1, 433rd Fighter Interceptor Squadron, Kinross Air Force Base, Michigan"*** — confirming that the Kinross presence was a detachment from the parent squadron at Truax, not a permanent Kinross assignment.
Truax Field, Madison, Wisconsin
[edit | edit source]| Feature | Detail |
|---|---|
| Full name | Truax Field; later Truax Air Force Base |
| Location | Madison, Wisconsin |
| Function | Fighter interceptor base; Air Defense Command |
| GCI radar | Ground Control Intercept radar facility; initially tracked the unidentified target on November 23, 1953 |
| Current designation | Dane County Regional Airport (civilian); with Wisconsin Air National Guard facilities |
| Significance | Home base of both Moncla and Wilson; the GCI radar at Truax was the first to detect the unidentified target; Truax had primary authority over the intercept until it was handed to Calumet AFS |
The Concurrent Truax F-89C Accident
[edit | edit source]One of the most peculiar contextual details of the Kinross incident is that on the same calendar day — November 23, 1953*** — another F-89C from Truax Field crashed near Madison, Wisconsin***, killing both crew members. The accident records indicate:
- Both aircraft were F-89C Scorpions
- Both were from Truax Field (433rd FIS)
- Both accidents occurred on November 23, 1953
- Both were fatal to their two-man crews
The Truax crash was unrelated to the Kinross incident — it was a conventional aircraft accident with a recovered crash site and identified bodies. However, the coincidence of two fatal F-89C accidents from the same squadron on the same day has been noted by researchers:
- It is cited by supporters of the mechanical failure theory as evidence that the F-89C had genuine reliability problems that could explain Moncla's loss independently of any extraordinary cause
- It is also noted by anomaly researchers as a coincidence that strains conventional probability — two fatal F-89C accidents from the same unit on the same day, one with a recovered crash site and one with none
The Air Force accident records specifically note the Truax crash in the context of the Kinross incident, stating: "Since Moncla was on temporary assignment to Kinross AFB from Truax field, that would make two F-89C Scorpions from the same field that crashed within hours of each other."***
