While the 1947 Roswell incident in New Mexico often dominates discussions about UFOs, some believe a lesser-known event in Kingman, Arizona, rivals it in significance. The alleged 1953 "crash" near Kingman has sparked intrigue and debate among UFO enthusiasts.
Newspaper headline about the Roswell UFO incident
Researcher Preston Dennett, author of "UFOs Over Arizona: A True History of Extraterrestrial Encounters in the Grand Canyon State," asserts that Arizona has multiple UFO crash-retrieval events, with the Kingman crash being the most famous and well-documented. According to Dennett, it ranks among the top 10 best-verified UFO crashes in the United States.
Crash Details
Dennett states that the UFO crashed on May 21, 1953, approximately eight miles northeast of the Kingman Airport. Government officials reportedly dispatched a team of about 40 scientists to investigate the crash site.
"The object was described as metallic, 30 feet wide and three and a half feet high, oval-shaped with portholes," Dennett explains. "Inside were two to four, four-foot tall humanoids, deceased according to most sources, with large eyes and wearing metallic suits."
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The object was allegedly quickly transported to either Area 51 air base in Nevada or Wright-Patterson Air Force Base in Ohio, according to Dennett.
Satellite image of Area 51
Eyewitness Accounts
Among the scientists who assisted in the recovery was engineer Arthur Stancil. After examining the crash site, Stancil concluded that the craft had impacted the ground at 1,200 miles per hour but remained strangely undamaged and was not of human origin.
"The object was not built by anything, obviously, that we know about on Earth," Stancil stated. "It was more like a tear-drop-shaped cigar... like a streamlined cigar."
Metallurgist Leonard Stringfield also analyzed the craft and materials, concluding that "the object was not constructed on Earth."
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According to Stancil, a tent guarded by military police stood next to the spacecraft.
"I managed to glance inside at one point and saw the dead body of a 4-foot human-like creature in a silver metallic suit," he recounted. "The skin on its face was dark brown."
The Cover-Up
As one might expect, the Kingman event was kept secret from the public for many years, says Dennett.
"The first break in the case came from columnist Frank Scully, whose book 'Behind the Flying Saucers' mentioned the crash," he says.
Kingman's history is rich and varied, encompassing trains, automobiles, and aviation. The city was established as a railroad construction camp, and Beale Springs served as an oasis for travelers and explorers. The Kingman Army Airfield, now the Kingman Airport and Industrial Park, was established in 1942 and later used as a storage depot for mothballed bombers after World War II.
Read also: Details on the UFO crash retrieval whistleblower's claims.
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Kingman and Route 66
Kingman is famously associated with Route 66. The city's connection to trains and automobiles is well-known, and many tangible links to this history are points of interest on the historic district self-guided tour narrated by author Jim Hinckley of Jim Hinckley’s America.
Route 66 sign in Arizona
Early Aviation History in Kingman
Kingman's aviation history, aside from the Kingman Army Airfield, is less well-known but includes the urban legend of the UFO crash. Kingman’s first airfield was established near Mountain View Cemetery in about 1918. In February 1919 the Gulf to Pacific squadron used this field as a base for the first aerial survey of the Grand Canyon.
Western Air Express was incorporated in 1925 to capitalize on contracts offered by the United States Postal Service. In 1926 the pioneering company began offering passenger services. It was about this time that the company established an airfield and terminal in Kingman. Reincorporated in 1928 as Western Air Express Corp, the company acquired Standard Air Lines, subsidiary of Aero Corp. of California in 1930. Shortly afterwards the company merged with Transcontinental Air Transport and reorganized as TWA, Trans World Airlines.
Transcontinental Air Transport or TAT began offering an innovative air-rail passenger service in 1929. In the southwest, ports, TAT terminals, were established in Albuquerque, Winslow, and Kingman. Lindbergh was a frequent guest at the Hotel Beale during construction of the local airfield. Amelia Earhart attended the ribbon cutting. Many celebrities used the airline, and made stops in Kingman. Will Rogers flew into Kingman on several occasions to visit with rancher Tap Duncan, an old friend. The terminal building located a few blocks of Route 66 is now used as the offices for a drilling company.
Like the Roswell incident, separating fact from fiction and urban legend in Kingman’s UFO story remains a challenge.