Baltimore: American Airlines DC-6 Emergency Dive to Avoid UFO, Passengers Injured
At midnight on October 19, 1953, an American Airlines DC-6 near Baltimore executed an emergency dive to avoid an unknown on collision course, throwing passengers into the aisle and causing injuries. Ground control confirmed no other known aircraft within 100 miles.
Background
At midnight on October 19, 1953, an American Airlines DC-6 was passing over Conowingo Dam, north of Baltimore, on its way to Washington, D.C. Without warning it confronted an unknown on a collision course. The pilot executed a dive, which threw passengers into the aisle, injuring some. The object streaked overhead and into the night.
The captain described it as having a size similar to the length and breadth of his own plane's fuselage. Ground control insisted that no other known aircraft was within a 100-mile area.
This incident is notable because it resulted in physical injuries to passengers — one of the few documented cases where a UFO encounter caused actual harm to civilians.
Significance
One of the few documented cases where a UFO encounter caused physical injuries to airline passengers.