Many of us get a chance to investigate freshly reported meteorite falls of
which 99.99% are quickly resolved. Here's one that's going to remain a
mystery.
I've just spoken with a 72-year-old gentleman who believes that a meteorite
fell through his R.V.
All of the information contained herein is from this individual and I haven't
researched the particulars.
The alleged event occurred last September, at about 7:30PM during a sunset
obscured by threatening clouds. The Lehigh Acres, Florida retiree, was parked
at a campground on the banks of the Potomac River. He believes he endured "a
warning shot from God" when an object crashed into the roof of his 30' (9 m)
Itasca motorhome penetrating the fiberglass roof, continuing through 3/8" (8
mm) plywood ("the hole looked rounded like someone hit it with a ballpeen
hammer"), apparently becoming embedded somewhere within 4" (10 cm) of hard
foam insulation.
He was standing next to the door of his R.V. (recreational vehicle) when he
heard the crash.
He looked up to see what was falling, and told me upon questioning that he
saw no smoketrail. However, his view was blocked by adjacent trees in a
wooded area with threatening skies.
He said that "had it been 12" (30 cm) over, it would have hit me in the head."
He crawled up the ladder attached to the side of the vehicle high enough to
note that there were no tree branches that had fallen. He observed a 2" (5
cm.) diameter hole and that the object had continued through the plywood
ceiling. He was surprised at the angle of descent and estimated it at 45-60
degrees from the West. It was going to rain so he covered the hole with
plastic, and called his insurance agent.
A Hartford Insurance representative visited the next day and assessed the
damage as due to "either a meteorite or a falling object from a plane."
Because rain was still imminent, repairmen immediately repaired the
fiberglass roof without searching for the object possibly embedded somewhere
in the insulation. No one thought it was worth the trouble.
Notably, this gentleman tells me that the campground is across from a US
Government military installation in Indian Head, Maryland, an area of
restricted airspace.
Kevin Kichinka
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