The Kinross Disappearance

On November 23, 1953, an Air Force F-89 Scorpion jet scrambled from Kinross AFB to intercept an unknown object over Lake Superior. Radar operators watched in horror as the blip representing the jet merged with the unknown target—then both disappeared. Neither the aircraft nor its crew were ever found.

The Base

Kinross AFB:

• Michigan’s Upper Peninsula
• Air Defense Command
• Cold War era
• Constant readiness
• Tracking everything

The Night

November 23, 1953:

• Evening
• Unknown radar contact
• Over Lake Superior
• In restricted airspace
• Intercept ordered

The Crew

Two airmen:

• Lt. Felix Moncla Jr. (pilot)
• 2nd Lt. Robert Wilson (radar operator)
• F-89C Scorpion jet
• Night intercept mission
• Never returned

The Scramble

At 6:22 PM:

• Object detected
• Over Lake Superior
• Unidentified
• Headed toward Canada
• F-89 launched

The Chase

Moncla pursued:

• Guided by ground radar
• Object at 500 mph
• 70 miles off coast
• Closing distance
• Then strange event

The Merge

Radar showed:

• Two blips approaching
• F-89 and unknown
• Blips merged
• Became one
• Then disappeared

Ground Controller

Radar operator:

• Watched the merge
• Expected separation
• None occurred
• Both targets gone
• Immediate alert

The Search

Extensive effort:

• Canadian and US forces
• Lake Superior searched
• No wreckage
• No oil slick
• No bodies

Nothing Found

Despite searching:

• No trace of aircraft
• No crew remains
• Complete disappearance
• Lake is deep
• But nothing at all

Official Explanation

Air Force claimed:

• Canadian aircraft
• F-89 was tracking
• Crashed into lake
• Natural accident
• Case closed

RCAF Response

Royal Canadian Air Force:

• Denied having aircraft
• In that airspace
• That night
• Contradicted USAF
• Mystery deepened

The Contradiction

If not Canadian:

• What was it?
• Why lie?
• What happened to jet?
• Why merged blips?
• No answers

Family Questions

Moncla’s family:

• Never accepted explanation
• Sought answers
• FOIA requests
• Decades of inquiry
• No satisfaction

Lake Superior

The lake:

• Very deep
• Very cold
• Preserves aircraft
• Others found
• Why not F-89?

Theories

Various ideas:

• UFO abduction
• Collision with unknown
• Secret incident
• Covered up
• Still debated

Significance

Kinross significant for:

• Radar documentation
• Total disappearance
• Official contradiction
• Unsolved mystery
• Military involvement

Legacy

The Kinross Incident remains one of aviation’s greatest mysteries. The radar evidence of the jet merging with an unknown object—combined with the complete disappearance and contradictory official explanations—ensures continued fascination.