It looked like a rocket. They witnessed the red streak for about 15 seconds. So, what did they see? Eastern Air Lines pilots, Clarence Chiles and John Whitted, reported that at 2:45 on the morning of July 24, 1948, they witnessed a glowing object pass by their airplane. They said it appeared to rise up into clouds before disappearing. Their testimony, regarding the details of the unidentified flying craft, differs in only one aspect.
Cruising over Montgomery, Alabama at about 5,000 feet, they both saw a wingless, torpedo-shaped craft about 100 feet long accelerate with a tremendous burst of flames. But, while Chiles claimed to spot a well-lit cockpit, Whitted did not see a cockpit, and instead thought he saw a line of rectangular windows. There was no discernible sound reported. The bright object was also witnessed by Air Force ground crews, as well as by their crew chief, at nearby Robins Air Force Base. These reports seemed to corroborate the viability of the event’s occurrence.