[meteorite-list] Fireball Sighted Over Oklahoma

From: Ron Baalke <baalke_at_meteoritecentral.com>
Date: Thu Apr 22 10:00:06 2004
Message-ID: <200207101613.JAA20641_at_zagami.jpl.nasa.gov>

http://www.newsok.com/cgi-bin/show_article?ID=885061&pic=none&TP=getarticle

Authorities clueless about mysterious fireball
The Associated Press
July 9, 2002

HENRYETTA - Police said today they still don't know what to
make of more than 20 reports of a mysterious fireball in the sky.

Henryetta Police Chief Audie Cole said his officers have
exhausted their investigation into the object, which streaked
through the sky for about 10 to 15 seconds Saturday night. Two
minutes later, residents felt the tremors of an explosion.

"From what they tell me, it was a pretty good boom," the chief
said. "The officers have done everything they could do."

Officers checked on planes at the airport and Tinker Air Force
Base. They even looked into whether there had been a major
truck accident on Interstate 40 that threw something into the air.

There was no such accident and none of the ideas got them any
answers, Cole said.

About 20 people called police Saturday night to report the flying
object, which some said had a flaming blue tail.

"When we first saw it we thought it was a missile," said
Henryetta resident Shirley Brown. "It had a blue flame and a red
flame coming out of the back. It was like a comet, but it was
metal."

Other residents called the Okmulgee County Sheriff's Office.

"Six people called with reports of a large missile-type object with
large flames flying across the sky," Okmulgee County Undersheriff
Eddy Rice said.

Authorities said they have no clue where the object landed.

"There is nowhere to even start," Rice said. "Usually people are
pretty good about calling if they see smoke, and we haven't had
anyone call to report that."

The chief said the projectile likely was flying 10 miles south of
Henryetta.
Received on Wed 10 Jul 2002 12:13:54 PM PDT