Thomas Preziose

Thomas Preziose was an experienced U.S. cargo pilot with 4,000 flight hours who died on 23 October 2002 near Mobile, Alabama, in a Cessna 208B Cargomaster, in a collision with an unknown object. The initial NTSB report mentioned the collision with the unknown object, but the final NTSB report attributed the crash to pilot disorientation — a strange red residue was found at 14 locations on the wreckage.

• U.S. cargo pilot with 4,000 flight hours
• Flew a Cessna 208B Cargomaster cargo plane
• Died on 23 October 2002 near Mobile, Alabama
• Aircraft collided with an unknown object
• Initial NTSB report mentioned the collision with the unknown object
• Final NTSB report attributed the crash to pilot disorientation
• Strange red residue found at 14 locations on the wreckage

For the UAP timeline, Preziose is the rare case of a dead pilot where official finding lines contradict each other — first "collision with an unknown object", then "disorientation" — while physical traces of an unidentified residue are documented at the same time. The case thus remains an open discussion point between NTSB findings and UAP research.