Peter W. Killian

Peter W. Killian, an American Airlines captain from Syosset, New York, was a veteran pilot since 1929 with over 15 years of airliner experience and more than four million commercial miles flown. On February 23-24, 1959, while captaining Flight 937, a DC-6 from Newark to Detroit, he and his crew observed three glowing UFOs pacing their aircraft for 45 minutes near Williamsport, Pennsylvania. Killian radioed other airliners, confirming sightings by Captain A.D. Yates and Engineer L.E. Baney, who tracked the objects from Lockhaven to Youngstown, Ohio. He distinguished the UFOs from Orion's Belt stars and dismissed jet refueling, noting no radar returns and varying lights. The case drew NICAP investigation, including interviews and reports submitted by affiliates. Air Force attributed it to a KC-97 refueling mission with B-47s, though witnesses disputed this. Killian's credible testimony bolstered UFO evidence, challenging official explanations.