Clarence Chiles Aircraft Sketch
Type: Witness Drawing
Source: U.S. Air Force Investigation
Captain Clarence Chiles provided investigators with a drawing representing the unusual object observed during the July 24, 1948 encounter. The drawing depicts the object's general shape and illuminated features as described in his testimony.
Clarence Chiles Aircraft Sketch:
Chiles's sketch was made on July 26, 1948, two days after the encounter, during a meeting with Project Sign investigators in Atlanta. The drawing depicts a long, wingless, rocket- or cigar-shaped object with numerous illuminated features, a bright front/cockpit area, and a large flame or exhaust extending from the rear. The surviving caption identifies it as a sketch made by Chiles at an Atlanta hotel on July 26.
What makes Chiles's drawing particularly interesting is that it contains some details that Whitted did not emphasize or apparently did not see in the same way. Historical reproductions and analyses describe Chiles's sketch as showing:
A long cylindrical body
A possible protruding feature at the nose, sometimes described by Chiles as resembling a “radar pole”
An intensely illuminated forward section
Numerous smaller illuminated areas along the body
A substantial reddish or orange flame extending from the rear
Those details broadly reflect Chiles's later written statement, in which he described a wingless craft with illuminated windows, a blue glow underneath, and flame extending from the rear.
Whitted made a separate sketch:
Whitted's drawing is not simply a copy of Chiles's sketch. He independently depicted the object somewhat differently.
Whitted's sketch placed greater emphasis on approximately six large rectangular illuminated panels or windows along the side of the elongated object, followed by an orange-red exhaust or flame. Project 1947 specifically notes that Whitted's drawing differed considerably from Chiles's, despite both men estimating the object at roughly 100 feet long.
Evidence Files
