VETERAN SWEDISH AIRMEN OBSERVE, DESCRIBE DISK-SHAPED AIRCRAFT OVER SKAANE

Document Type: 
Collection: 
Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): 
0005516165
Release Decision: 
RIFPUB
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U
Document Page Count: 
4
Document Creation Date: 
June 24, 2015
Document Release Date: 
January 31, 2011
Sequence Number: 
Case Number: 
F-2010-00651
Publication Date: 
April 1, 1954
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000015474 COUNTRY Sweden INFORMATION PROM FOREIGN DOCUMENTS OR RADIO RROADCASYS CO NO. SUBJECT Military'- Unconventional aircraft HOW PUBLISHED Daily newspaper WHERE PUBLISHED Stockholm DATE PUBLISHED 18-20 Dec 1953 LANGUAGE ? Swedish SOURCE Dagens "ter . . VETERAN SWEDISH A. -T-M."41- DIMCRIDEDISK-SEAM CRAPT SEAAlIE information in this report was taken from three articles which appeared in the liberal Stockholm daily, pas hater on 18, 19, and 20 December 1953. In the rendition oft first two articles (18 and 19 December), repetitions elements have been amsitted. The third article is given in full. 'Numbers in parentheses refer to appended sources) The chief pilot for Transajr Airlines, Plight Captain Ulf Christierasson, and his flight mechanic, Olle Jobsnsson, reported that on the afternoon of 17 December 1953, while flying in a DC-3 over Skeane, they sighted a nyste- . Captain Christiernsson, at present employed by Transair in flying the morning [Stockholm] papers to southern Sweden, has very extensive air ex- perience, having served as a volunteer with the BAP from 1942-19%6, finishing his service with the rank of captain. Be flew 30 missions against enemy terri- tory Trali North Afrids "mDd Italy. route traveled by all controlled air traffic between Bulltofta and Brosmta air- thing I have seen before. The 'mysterious object appeared suddenly on the air "I do not doubt for an instant that it was not a jet plane. Ibat II saw res a DATE OF INFORMATION .,1953 DATE DIST. /9 PR 1954 I NO. OF PAGES k SUPPLEMENT TO 'REPORT NO. 000015474. ' ? 00-W-x97145 Over lAsslebolm, I say an object -- on my right and obliquely in front of me, flying at a somewhat lower altitude -- which at first I thought to be a jet plane. The silhouette was thin and it approached me at a very high velocity. Olle Johanson and I have discussed the matter of its speed and comparing its speed with, for example, that of the "Flying Barrels" [J 29), we have estimated the speed to be about that of sound. The whole business took place fantastically quickly, but I believe that I was able to see the object for 4 to 5 seconds. "Whin the object got closer, I was able to ascertain that it was symmetric and metallic. It is very difficult to describe something that one has never . nets before, but I would say that it looked like a flying losenge. The object did not seem, to have a crew but seemed more to be a robot. When it passed under the wing [of the ]OC-31, I could no longer see it. The mechanic, who was able to observe it for five more seconds, confirms the fact that it was circular or possibly somewhat elliptical in rarm.' t_ the time of the incident, we were flying at an altitude of 2,150 meters and the cloud ceiling was about 1,500 meters. Thus, the object should, have been flying at an altitude of between 1,500 .and 1,600 meters. We estimated?the also to be about 10 meters in dia- "Ne are both absolutely convinced that it could not have been a meteor ar ' see any distant light but were only other celestial pbenomenon. We-did not able to see that the object bad a metallic lustre. )5amediately after the ob- The whole thing happened so quickly that we could not have man jed to change Olle Johaneson's statement was as follows: "I was sitting forward in the right-Land eeat of the pilot's cabin when Captain Christierasson pointed to the object. What I saw was an ellipse with sharp outlines and something between ailvwr? fled white in color. I saw it for about 10 seconds. It was approaching from the worth in a direction opposite to ours_ at a speed of about 1,200 kilo- meters'pei hour. It was flying entirely above'the clouds. From Malm6 north- ward, -we were able to see the.ground for only a few myriametars and after that there was A.cioud covering all tbs., rsv:a Stockholm. We were flying at a speed of about 270 kilometers per, hour- "cn ninutes+af t-er the incident, we mat an SAS (Scandinavian Airlines Syste:) Fn:-Y.. T'her4upcu, we estimated the object's speed at about three times that of the DC-.4. There seemed to be no flames or smoke trail from the object. Since we had the automatic pilot on, we bad no chance to ti5ru quickly enough to see where the object vent." The Defense Staff's abort cot annique on the incident read as follows: "At 1457 hours on Thursday, the crew on a civilian easmercial plane observed, in the vicinity of BSssleholm, an unknown object which moved at a high speed in a direction opposite to that of the plane. The object was Keyed for 6 to 7 seconds.. At the time of the incident, there was clear weather at the alti- tude at which the plane was flying. Because. of the law cloud ceiling, the object could not have been seen from the ground. Withi: the knowledge of the Defense Staff, there was no Swedish plane in-the area concerned at the time of the incident. Investigation continues." Reports of "flying -saucers"have arisen in both Europe and America;on countless occasions _n recent ;?ecrs but, according to a statement-?to Ds^ ns R eterby a member of the Air Staff, these observations over .Shane can be.? termed the clearest and most detailed which heretofore have been made rega;?ding mysterious unknown aircrai"te(1) 000015474 00-Nr29745 lxvertsSay Object Was Daylight Meteorite Both the Defense-Staff and the Air Staff ware working feverishly on Friday (18 December) to solve the mystery of '.':te'"flying lozenge." They arrived at no definite result, but the experts are mostly of the opinion that the observed object was a daylight meteorite. The possibility that St t'? was a ballon or an unknown type of foreign aircraft is not ruled out, how placement of 17 degrees which also seems to agree with the observations wade. reduced very greatly when they came into the vicinity of the earth. It. has peered. That meteor was plainly a straggler. It was observed at ni:ght,hov- Captain XSllenius of the Defense Staff stated that other possible ex- Odle Jobansson, stated in their report that the speed of-the object approdched his report was the absolute truth. He said, To be sore, I joke.?a bit,-but one does not joke about things like this. I saw something and reported my?observa- tions. What it was, I do not keOw."(2) Object Stated to Be Advertising Balloon The mysterious 'flying lozenge" over Usskcho3a was probably neither C. Skeane perftmte firm. The object was observed at 1500 on Thursday (17 December) had been up at Asph alt on Linderodsaasea,~some myriemeters south of HSseleholm, Maid office and said, "With all certainty, it is one of our?bhllbons which the Their sizes -varied from 15 to 30 centimeters in diameter. According'to what ? C00015474-, maybe still higher depending on the weather. To each balloon was attached an advertisement card which the finder was to return to the firm in Halm! in ex- change for a bottle of cologne. Some cards have already been returned from 'model. The wind was so strong and in such a direction that it is not likely balloons are tram 1 to 2 meters in diamett. No new observations have been reported during Saturday (19 December),-and the experts are now working with the material which came in earlier. Telephone calls have been received from a number of persons with new theories, acne -of which will be tested. In the meantime, the balloon theory seems to have been strengthened through the latest reports from Skaane.(3)