Maury Island UFO Incident

The Maury Island UFO Incident is a bizarre mystery case spanning several months in the summer of 1947 in the Puget Sound area of Washington State and involved the Air Force’s first military plane crash.

Maury Island UFO Incident** New  photos and documentation discovered on UFOlogy¹s first modern day case. By Charlette LeFevre and Philip Lipson Directors, Northwest Museum of Legends and Lore Updated Feb. 2014

The Maury Island UFO Mystery is a complex case spanning several months in the summer of 1947 in the Puget Sound area of Washington State. The mystery occurred two weeks before Roswell and first involved UFOs seen over Maury Island, followed by the famous Kenneth Arnold sighting of UFOs over Mt. Rainier and ended with the tragic crash of a B-25 Bomber and the deaths of two military intelligence officers - Capt. Davidson and 1st Lt. Frank Brown. This article focuses on the crash site of the B-25 Bomber, a first ever interview with a local who was first on the scene,  a newly discovered photo of the crash site, believed to be the only photo available of the Air Force¹s first plane crash and never seen before photos of Capt. William Davidson, 1st Lt. Frank Brown, Tacoma Times Reporter Paul Lantz and Harold Dahl - the man who claimed to have the sighting over Maury Island.

(https://www.nwlegendsmuseum.com/MauryTugJpg.jpg)

What Harold Dahl  might have seen over Maury Island, North of Mt. Rainier in Washington State on June 21, 1947. Illustration by Charlette LeFevre

[Harold Dahl](https://www.nwlegendsmuseum.com/DahlFullPhoto.jpg)  Harold Dahl, unknown date, photo courtesy of daughter Louise.**The Maury Island UFO Incident**

The mystery starts with an alleged UFO sighting by Harold Dahl on June 21, 1947, 2:00 pm over Maury Island Washington. Dahl along with his son and two crewmen were salvaging logs south of Maury Island when they saw six doughnut shaped disks hovering over the bay. One disk was wobbling and appeared to be in trouble. It lowered itself to about 500 feet above the water and was joined by five other disks. Upon what appeared to be assistance from one of the disks, the floundering disk dropped what appeared to be shiny aluminum metal on the beach followed by black lava like rock (or slag) into the water which created steam upon hitting the water. The falling slag wounded Dahl¹s son Charles and killed their dog. Charles was taken to the local hospital in Tacoma for first aid and the dog¹s body was buried at sea on their return trip. 

Kenneth Arnold¹s UFO Sighting

Three days later on June 24, 1947, a pilot and Federal Marshall by the name of Kenneth Arnold saw nine disks skipping across the North face of Mt. Rainier and was to become the sighting in which media coined the term Flying Saucer. Arnold would be interviewed by the local and national press including Edward R. Murrow and his sighting made radio and news headlines around the world. Arnold would later be  interviewed by 1st Lt. Frank M. Brown along with Capt. William L. Davidson from Hamilton Field in California.

[Smith Arnold and Stevens](https://www.nwlegendsmuseum.com/SmithArnoldStevens.jpg)

National wire photo of Captain E.J. Smith, Kenneth Arnold, and First Officer Ralph Stevens reviewing Ryman’s photo, July 5, 1947

[Capt. William Davidson](https://www.nwlegendsmuseum.com/DavidsonOnlyJpg.jpg) Capt. William Davidson. Photo courtesy of family.

[1st Lt. Frank M. Brown](https://www.nwlegendsmuseum.com/BrownFaceJpg.jpg) 1st Lt. Frank M. Brown. Military Records

Kenneth Arnold was interested in UFOs after his sighting and answered a request by Ray Palmer - an editor in Chicago to investigate the nearby Maury Island sighting and a meeting was arranged with Harold Dahl at the Winthrop Hotel in Tacoma where Arnold was joined by United Airlines pilot Capt. E. J. Smith.

The officers 1st Lt. Frank Brown and Capt. Davidson were called back to the Northwest at the request of Kenneth Arnold to also review these witnesses. The officers met with Kenneth Arnold and Fred Crisman at the Wintrhop Hotel in Tacoma and then left to return to Hamilton Field. It was about midnight on July 31, 1947 when they finished their interviews and they called for a command car to pick them up as they seemed in a hurry to return to Hamiliton Field as it was Air Force Day - the inauguration day of the separation of the Air Force from the Army and they stated all planes were needed.

Kenneth Arnold in his book ³The Coming of the Saucers² comments that just as the Army command car pulled up in front of the hotel where he and Capt. Smith were staying, Fred L. Crisman - Harold Dahl¹s supervisor came by and started taking a large Kellogg¹s corn flakes box (believed to be a large box with flaps) out of his trunk and Kenneth Arnold helped Crisman unload this box from his car into the trunk of the command car. Arnold states he could see the top of the box flapping open and ³Inside the box were a great number of large chunks of material that looked similar to the fragments they had in their room². Arnold yelled Goodbye and good luc² as the command car drove away. That was the last time Arnold and Capt. Smith were to see the officers. Soon after returning to his hotel room, a Tacoma Times reporter Ted Morello called to say that a mysterious telephone informant had told him what had taken place in their hotel room. This informant¹s information appeared accurate to the point that Arnold thought a small transmitter had been planted somewhere in their room although they could never find one. 1


The B-25 Bomber Crash - the Air Force¹s first Fatalities

Arnold the next morning around 9:20am received a call from Fred Crisman informing him that the radio was mentioning news of a B-25 bomber that had exploded and crashed twenty minutes after take off from McChord Field. The B-25 Bomber had crashed near Kelso Washington when the left engine caught on fire. Arnold was later to hear a recorded interview by Ted Morello of Sgt. Elmer L. Taff who was one of the survivors of the plane crash. Sgt. Taff related fifteen to twenty minutes after take off it was noticed that the left engine was on fire. Sgt. Matthew's had tried the emergency fire fighting system which did not work. Then Lt. Brown squeezed through the doorway and commanded them to strap on their parachutes. Lt. Brown had his harness on but not his parachute. He harshly commanded them both to jump. ³Lt. Brown quickly told him how to pull the rip chord when he was sure he was clear of the ship and actually forcibly shoved him out of the plane into the night². 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. Taff also related of how shortly before they took off the pilot and copilot loaded a heavy cardboard box aboard the B-25. Taff noticed it particularly because it seemed very heavy for one man to carry. This box was placed over to one side of the compartment that he and the engineer occupied. Ted Morello also informed Kenneth Arnold that the B-25 Bomber that landed at McChord Field was under military armed guard every minute it was at the field. It was implied by the nature of that statement that this was unusual and Morello was scared for their safety. 1    **The Maury Island UFO Incident**

A local newspaper article also gave clues to what happened aboard the plane. Woodrow D. Matthews, 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 ³standing in the aisle ready to leave the plane ³ when Matthews himself jumped out. 6 Brown was found at the crash site with his parachute harness on but had apparently returned to the cockpit.    **The Maury Island UFO Incident**

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. 6 T/4 Woodrow D. Matthews, crew chief of the bomber who put the parachute on Sgt. Taff saving his life was proposed for the Soldier¹s Medal. An FBI report states the left wing was found 125 yards from the plane impact site and likely fell off throwing the plane into a plummeting spin. 3 Later that day Kenneth Arnold again received a call from Ted Morello. The mysterious informant that kept calling Morello stated the B-25 bomber from Hamilton Field had been shot down by a 20mm cannon. The Tacoma Times that day¹s headlines read ³Sabotage Hinted in Crash of Army Bomber at Kelso and a sub-headline read ³Plane May Hold Flying Disk Secret². Written by Paul Lance the article stated the plane had been sabotaged or shot down to prevent shipment of flying disk fragments to Hamilton Field, California, for analysis. ³The disk parts were said by the informant to be those from one of the mysterious platters which plunged to earth on the Maury Island² recently. Leading substance to the caller¹s theory is the fact that twelve hours before the Army released official identification, the informant correctly identified the dead in the crash to be Capt. William L. Davidson and 1st Lt. Frank M. Brown. This Tacoma Times article also stated ³At McChord field an intelligence officer confirmed the informants report that the B-25 Bomber had been carrying classified material¹. 1   **The Maury Island UFO Incident**

Arnold was later informed that the crash was caused by the loss of an exhaust collector ring on the left engine. It was never explained by the military why Capt. Davidson and Lt. Brown never notified anyone by radio of their distress nor why they themselves did not parachute. It is likely both Davidson and Brown knew the urgency of the situation but stayed with the plane until the last moments and then it became too late. There has been no indication that the officers were conducting any additional classified missions other than interviewing the UFO sighting witnesses and carrying any other type of evidence on board. Seattle Post Intelligencer Aug. 3, 1947 AP report states ³Pieces not Located² Brig. Gen. Ned Schramm, chief of staff, Fourth Air Force, said he knew nothing about reports that the plane was carrying ³classified² or secret material² ³As far as I know, the plane was supposed to come in here empty.² he said, ³and there wasn¹t a single, solitary, secret thing aboard². 9 Air Rescue Service Final Mission Report (4) states ³at 0930PST, a message from Sq.B informed that top secret material was in the navigators kit and to request Commanding Officer McChord Field to expedite all available information to Commanding Officer Hamilton Field.

(https://www.nwlegendsmuseum.com/BobDav.jpg) Bob Davenport - First on the Scene of the crash, part of  The Maury Island UFO Incident

On March 18, 2006 we interviewed Robert Davenport of Kelso, Washington at a local restaurant and he related clearly how as a fifteen year old boy his neighbor had alerted his family of a report of a crash in the area and he how went with his father immediately to the site. He and his father were the first persons at the crash site in the early morning hours of Aug. 1, 1947 later to be joined by other neighbors and locals. He stated the crash site was easy to find due to all the smoke rising from the numerous small fires. He described the site as gruesome and dangerous as there were still numerous small fire explosions due to the igniting of pockets of spilled fuel. The plane had impacted the hill at the base of three alder trees and there was burnt debris everywhere. Davenport described how it was hard for the Sheriff¹s cars to make it up the rough roads and several cars had their fuel tanks damaged. This was confirmed by other newspaper reports. The military had used their property as a base camp and spent over a week in cleaning up the debris and moving the larger pieces to a nearby corn field. Surprisingly, our inquiries regarding this crash was the first he had ever heard of this plane crash having any connection to UFOs and he was not aware of any secret or classified material on board.   **The Maury Island UFO Incident**   **The Maury Island UFO Incident** Maury Island UFO Incident

[B-25 Crash](https://www.nwlegendsmuseum.com/Crash064.jpg)

The First Photo

Longview Daily News reports Air Force Day Marred As B-25 Crashes Here The Maury Island UFO Incident Maury Is **The Maury Island UFO Incident**   **The Maury Island UFO Incident**   **The Maury Island UFO**land UFO Incident

After the interview we decided to check out the local area and see if we could find any further newspaper articles on the crash as the previous year we had discovered a Kelso article that provided more details of the crash area. Our efforts proved more fruitful than we had imagined. We discovered not only another article but a photo of the crash site. 8 The photo was likely taken in the early morning hours by a local photographer for the small newspaper long before the military arrived. As the date was Aug. 1st it was likely printed for the evening edition of the newspaper. We believe this is the only photo available of the crash made available to the public and the first historical photo of the Air Force¹s first plane crash and fatalities. The photo suddenly made the incident seem even more real - more so than any other document could describe and gave a weighted impact to the deaths of Capt. Davidson and 1st Lt. Frank Brown. This photo is believed to be the only printed photo by a newspaper as Kenneth Arnold stated the military authorities had roped off the surrounding 150 acres around the crashed plane and nobody was allowed within that area. According to Kenneth Arnold not even the Civil Air Patrol themselves could approach the crash site. 7

Military, Media and attempted Cover Up of  the** Maury Island UFO Incident

According to a recently discovered article on the crash, in the Longview Daily article published shortly after the crash of August 1, entitled ³Springer Arrives To See Crash Scene² some indication is given that there was an attempt to provide a different explanation for the officer¹s investigations. Was this perhaps an early example of government disinformation? The article states ³ Information reaching The Daily News concerning the flight tended to dispel rumors of flying discs or secret missions, indicating that the aviators, Capt. William L. Davidson, San Francisco, and 1st Lt. Frank M. Brown of Vallejo took off from McChord Field bound for Hamiliton Field, California, early Friday morning to gain some night flying time on their logbooks.² This may have been one of the military¹s first attempt at a cover up to the press. Seattle Post-Intelligencer I.N.S. article states ³a Fourth Air Force officer verified Capt. Davidson¹ and Lt. Brown¹s deaths but stated that the report that their ill-fated bomber was returning with classified or secret material was ³just a flight of fancy². 5

Still a Mystery

Indeed, these new discoveries demonstrate that not all cases are investigated fully and time may reveal more information on a mystery that remains as complex and unsolved today as it was almost sixty years ago. This incident serves to commend the actions of the officers that whether or not they believed the slag was legitimate or that the stories were contrived, these two intelligence officers took the witnesses and sightings seriously enough to interview the pilots and witnesses and risked their lives to secure what they believed to be evidence. This article is dedicated to the men and women who take a risk to find the truth. Charlette LeFevre and Philip Lipson will continue to investigate this case, and document this Northwest mystery.

References 1\. Arnold, Kenneth and Palmer, Ray. ³The Coming of the Saucers², 1952. Ray Palmer, Amherst, Wisconsin.  Maury Island  2\. Arnold, Kenneth, Fate Magazine, Vol. 1, #1, 1948, The Mystery of the Flying Disks. 3\. FBI Report 1947.  **The Maury Island UFO Incident**   **The Maury Island UFO Incident** 4\. Air Rescue Service Final Report, McChord Field, Tacoma Washington, Aug. 4, 1947 5\. Seattle Post Intelligencer, I.N.S. article, ³Airline Head Mystified Over ŒFlying Disk¹ Fragment Story², Aug. 3, 1947. 6. Longview Daily, ³Springer Arrives To See Crash Scene², Aug. 4, 1947. 7\. Arnold, Kenneth. ³Proceedings Of The First International UFO Congress², 1980, Warner Books, New York, NY. 8\. Stark, Brent. Dahlquist photo. Longview Daily News, ³Air Force Day Marred As B-25 Crashes Here², Aug. 1, 1947, pg. 1. 9\. AP, Seattle Post-Intelligencer, ³2 Flyers Died in Crash on ³Disk² Mission², Sun. Aug. 3, 1947, pg. 1.

Now available, the first book from the Northwest Museum of Legends and Lore

The Maury Island UFO Incident - The Story behind the Air Force's first military plane crash

[ ](http://www.amazon.com/dp/149367496X/ref=tsm_1_fb_lk)

Now on Amazon.com

The Maury Island UFO Incident is a bizarre mystery case spanning several months in the summer of 1947 in the Puget Sound area of Washington State and involved the Air Force’s first military plane crash.   Maury Island UFO Incident    Maury Island UFO Incident

This book focuses on the crash site of the B-25 Bomber, a first ever interview with a local who was first on the scene and a newly discovered news photo of the crash site, believed to be the only photo available of the historical crash featured on the cover of the book. This book brings forth more photos and new information than ever before on this mystery.

The Maury Island UFO Incident

The mystery occurred two weeks before Roswell and involved three facets.  The first facet the story by Harold Dahl of UFOs seen over Maury Island, the second Kenneth Arnold’s sighting of UFOs over Mt. Rainier and the third, the tragic crash of a B-25 Bomber and the deaths of two military intelligence officers.  As the Air Force separated from the Army August 1^st 1947 this was the first crash and fatalities of the Air Force.

“When I met Charlette LeFevre and Philip Lipson in 2007, I found them to be enthusiastic researchers who were energetically pursuing and impartially sifting through the facts about the Maury Island incident.  This book is the result of their efforts.  It presents new evidence and new analysis, and every reader will find it intriguing and informative.” — Larry Haapanen, Ph.D, the last UFO investigator for the Fourth Air Force.

Maury Island UFO Amazon Reader Review, March 17, 2014 \- Charlette LeFevre and Philip Lipson have done a great investigative job into one of the most bizarre, enigmatic, and strange UFO cases around. I have been personally investigating this case for over 40 years now and was very surprised to find information and photographs in their book that I have never seen before. Whatever this classic 1947 case really represents; either a real UFO event, some kind of coverup using UFOs as a foil, or a downright hoax, ... do not pick up the investigation trail yourself without reading this book and adding it to your UFO research library! - Rod Dyke, Founder of UFO News Clipping Service, Golden Age Collectibles

• • About the Authors**

    

The “Scully and Mulder” of the Northwest, Charlette LeFevre and Philip Lipson have been researching, the Maury Island UFO case since 2001 and are now the foremost researchers on the subject. Charlette and Philip have been exploring and investigating Northwest Mysteries for over twenty years along with the Northwest Museum of Legend and Lore.

Kelso Crash: Mystery behind the Air Force's first plane crash Aug. 1, 1947

 Debris from the Air Force's first plane crash \- a B-25 Bomber and what could be an artifact from a UFO the plane was carrying when it crashed 

 The museum Directors Philip Lipson and Charlette LeFevre, James Greer and Barry Fisher, Nephew of 1st Lt. Frank Brown dedicating a plaque at the site Aug. 1st 2008 to the military officers who risked their lives protecting evidence.

Material found from Air Force¹s first plane crash in Kelso Washington 1947.

Northwest Museum of Legends and Lore, formerly the Seattle Museum of the Mysteries, announces soon to be displayed material from the historical Kelso Crash: the Air Force¹s first plane crash. After 60 years, material from the Air Force¹s first plane crash, a B-25 Bomber has been recovered from a wooded area in Kelso Washington.

Note debris found prior to Sept. 26, 2007 was free and clear for salvage. Charlette LeFevre and Philip Lipson, Directors of the Seattle Museum of the Mysteries in an expedition to the location of the crash Aug. 15, 2007 along with property owner James Greer made a remarkable discovery -that there were still numerous air plane parts apparently overlooked by the initial cleanup in August of 1947.   Maury Island UFO Incident

In the early morning hours of Aug. 1, 1947, a B25 Bomber left McChord Field and crashed in Kelso with what has always been considered a mysterious cargo of black lava rock slag reported to have been ejected from an unidentified craft during a sighting over Maury Island. Capt. Davidson and First Lieutenant Frank M. Brown were flying back to Hamilton Air Force Base in California when reportedly their left engine caught on fire and crashed in Kelso killing both officers. As this crash occurred Aug. 1, 1947, the day the Air Force separated from the Army, this historically became the Air Force¹s first military crash and first fatalities. It is believed both Davidson and Brown knew the urgency of the situation but stayed with the plane until the last moments.

On March 18, 2006 the museum Directors interviewed Robert Davenport of Kelso, Washington and he related clearly how as a fifteen year old boy he and his father were the first persons at the crash site. He described the site as dangerous as there were still numerous small fire explosions due to the igniting of pockets of spilled fuel. The plane had impacted the hill at the base of three alder trees and there was burnt debris everywhere. The military had used Davenport¹s property as a base camp and spent over a week in cleaning up the debris.  The Directors hope to pick up the mission 60 years later to analyze the possible slag in question for its properties. The directors believe the officers, whether or not they believed the evidence they were carrying on board was legitimate, risked their lives to secure what they believed to be evidence. The museum Directors dedicated a plaque at the historical site Aug. 1 2008 to commemorate the officers who gave their lives in the line of duty.    Maury Island UFO IncidentMaury Island UFO Incident

The UFO community worldwide has proclaimed June 24th International UFO Research Day in honor of Kenneth Arnold.

 Fate Magazines first issue features and article by Kenneth Arnold "The Truth about the Flying Saucers. Kenneth Arnold would give a first hand report on the Maury Island UFO Incident

Three days before Kenneth Arnold's famous 1947 saucer sighting on Mount Rainier, on June 21, 1947 in Puget Sound a Washingtonian named Harold Dahl watched five flying saucers come to the aid of a sixth wobbling in the sky just off Maury Island (now Vashon Island). The saucers spewed hot ash and slag that wounded Dahl's son and killed their dog. Their dog was buried at sea before they returned and Harold sought medical attention for his son at the hospital.

This occurance was to be investigated later by the military Captain William Davidson and First Lieutenant Frank M. Brown. The officers interviewed Dahl at Tacoma's Winthrop hotel and collected evidence of black lava rock. On August 1, 1947 their modified B-25 bomber crashed in Kelso Washington on their return flight with the evidence. According to the FBI, the military report and the two survivors, the left engine had caught fire and the officers stayed with the evidence. The Kelsonian Tribune headlines announced the next day " Flying Disk Investigators die in Army Bomber Wreck".

Harold Dahl was soon after visited by a "Man in Black" at a Tacoma cafe and soon after would claim the incident was a hoax.

 Winthrop Hotel today 2005 in Tacoma. Location of the interview with the military officers.

  The first page of the Maury Island Mystery from Key Comics. 

["A Tradition of Heroes"](http://www.defenselink.mil/afd/military/airforce.html) History of Air Force Day Air Force logo Air Force Day was established on August 1, 1947, by President Truman

"in recognition of the personnel of the victorious Army Air Forces and all those who have developed and maintained our nation's air strength." August 1 was chosen to mark the 40th anniversary of the establishment, in 1907, of the Aeronautical Division in the Office of the Chief Signal Officer of the Army. Air Force Day came into being immediately after the signing of the National Security Act of 1947, although the status of the air element of the military was uncertain. Thus, although it was called Air Force Day, its first celebration was staged by the Army Air Forces and not by the U.S. Air Force. Underlying the Air Force Day celebration was a need to increase "both official and public awareness of the priority of importance of air forces in any system of national security," according to Mr. Truman. "The great strategic fact of our generation is that the United States now possesses live frontiers -- the frontiers of the air -- and that the oceans are no longer sure ramparts against attack."

In his message to the nation on the first Air Force Day, Mr. Truman said, "I remind all of our citizens that the air power of the nation is essential to the preservation of our liberty, and that the continued development of the science of air transportation is vital to the trade and commerce of a peaceful world."

Air Force Day was last observed on August 1, 1949.