selected ufo cases
Group of People
Ex-airline pilot has close encounter with dome-shaped UFO in Brazil
May, 6, 1994 - Guarantingueta, Brazil
I could see the shape of the object and it was the familiar "flying saucer" dome shaped object. I walked two hundred feet on the side of the road towards the object which was hovering low, no sound came from it... The object was quite large and I estimated it to be at least 70 feet in diameter and about 30 feet high. It was just hovering in the air at about 120-150 feet high." View full report
Source: Brian Vike, HBCCUFO Research (hbccufo.org) ID: 1115
Case Type: RawReport Features: Silent, Humming, E-M Effects, Body Lights, Group Sighting
Close Encounter at Indian Point Nuclear Reactor, NY
June, 14, 1984 - Buchahan, New York, United States
The object consisted of ten or more lights arranged in a boomerang pattern. It appeared to be hovering about a quarter of a mile from one of the gates to the complex, and at that distance, they could not make out any shape... He estimated the object was at least 300 feet from one end to the other. View full report
Source: J. Allen Hynek, Philip J. Imbrogno, and Bob Pratt (excerpt from Night Siege: The Hudson Valley UFO Sightings) ID: 1080
Case Type: StandardCase Features: Nuclear Facility, E-M Effects, Group Sighting
Disk-shaped UFO seen by group of teenagers in Messel, Germany
March, 13, 1982 - Messel, Germany
Several 15-17 year olds were at a discotheque in the town of Messel, when they saw outside a steel blue luminous disk with a dome on top which appeared over the woods about 600 meters from where they where standing. It slowly approached the witnesses at very low altitude, a distance of about 100 meters. Its diameter was about 10 meters wide. After a few seconds the disc started to move in spiral curves down to the ground; it stopped for a moment before it flew away at a steep upward angle. View full report
Source: Illobrand von Ludwiger / MUFON-CES, (1998) ID: 651
Case Type: StandardCase Features: Group Sighting, Children, Light Beam
Bell-shaped object with flashing lights seen by 10 people in Queens, New York
September, 5, 1981 - Queens, New York, New York, United States
At least ten people in Corona, Queens, said they saw a bell-shaped UFO with flashing multi-colored lights making a beeping noise on Sept. 5, 1981, at 10:00 p.m. Reportedly, as the UFO hovered over a tenement block, a triangular-shaped ray of green light shot out from the bottom of the object and shone on the face of a teen-aged girl observing the object from the window of her friend's house. View full report
Source: News World (New York, NY), Sept. 19, 1981 ID: 941
Case Type: PressReport Features: Group Sighting, Light Beam, Body Lights, Children, Witness Sketch, Sound
Fishing crews observe large conical object hovering over water
March, 25, 1981 - Ayamonte (Huelva), Spain
The fishing boat Moguer 5 left port at Ayamonte (Huelva) Spain and proceeded out to sea. Six other boats comprised the rest of a small fishing fleet. The Moguer 5 was 400 meters from the shore when a conical-shaped object was seen 100 meters farther out to sea, hovering over the water's surface. The witnesses watched the cone for 20 minutes while it rotated just above the sea's surface for 20 minutes at which time it rose vertically and disappeared into the sky. View full report
Source: APRO Bulletin (vol. 29, no. 11) ID: 766
Case Type: StandardCase Features: Water-Related, Group Sighting
Large object with lights photographed by police officer, seen by hundreds
1980 - Levittown, Puerto Rico, United States
Hundreds of witnesses observed a disc, illuminated by bright lights, flying at a low altitude over a residential quarter of Levittown. When dozens of people called the local police station, a patrol car was sent. Police Officer Sgt. José Cordero arrived just in time to observe the large disc passing directly over him. He was able to take ten photos with his official Polaroid camera. View full report
Source: Hesemann ID: 408
Case Type: SummaryReport Features: Photo, Group Sighting
Star-shaped objects observed for several nights over Ingolstadt, Germany
September, 6, 1979 - Ingolstadt, Germany
Star-shaped objects were observed for several nights in September 1979 over the city of Ingolstadt. Since that time members of MUFON-CES, the German UFO research organization, have interviewed several flight controllers, a dozen police officers and numerous other witnesses. They have also analyzed photographs and radar recordings that where made on film. View full report
Source: Illobrand von Ludwiger / MUFON-CES, (1998) ID: 653
Case Type: StandardCase Features: Group Sighting, Police, Pilot/Aircrew
Large triangular object hovers near campers in Patapsco State Park
March, 22, 1978 - Patapsco State Park, Maryland, United States
Gary Oickle, 24, his brother David, 22, and two friends were camping in Patapsco State Park, when they encountered a huge triangular shaped object with large windows and three white lights at the corners. The object moved very slowly, hovering at times. When it appeared above them it was very low, approximately 200-250 feet, and made a sound like a "quiet wind" or "quietly rushing waterfall". View full report
Source: APRO, April 1978 ID: 828
Case Type: StandardCase Features: Group Sighting
Fourteen young hikers encounter saucer-shaped object
July, 28, 1976 - Winsted, Connecticut, United States
Fourteen young hikers of Camp Delaware, including a 24-year-old counselor, said they encountered a whining, saucer-shaped object during an afternoon hike on the 1,460-foot Blueberry Hill. The object was noticed following a high pitched screech, then hovered silently at tree-top level on an angle above the witnesses' heads. View full report
Source: Winsted Citizen (Winsted, CT), Aug. 23, 1976 ID: 373
Case Type: PressReport Features: Group Sighting, Children
US aircraft carrier 'stopped' by large, glowing UFO; electromagnetic effects
1971 - Caribbean / Bermuda Triangle,
From the witness: "We heard someone yelling 'There is something hovering over the ship!'... As we looked up, we saw a large, glowing sphere.... It made no sound that I could hear. The light coming from it wasn't too bright, about half of what the sun would be. It sort of pulsated a little and was yellow to orange... Virtually all electronic components stopped functioning during the 20 minutes or so that [the UFO] hovered over the ship. " View full report
Source: Jim Kopf (credit: Rense.com) ID: 1075
Case Type: RawReport Features: E-M Effects, Silent, Military, Group Sighting, Water-Related
UFO on the Sea Near Rio de Janeiro
June, 27, 1970 - Near Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
This incident, which took place in broad daylight, is notable because it was certainly observed by, at least eight witnesses. A great metallic disc came down on the surface of the South Atlantic Ocean. The disc remained on the surface of the water for half an hour, and two crewmen were seen inside it. When the disc took off, it left behind it on the sea a sort of ring or hoop. View full report
Source: Dr. W. Buhler, Flying Saucer Review. Vol. 17, No. 3. May/June 1971 (WaterUFO.net) ID: 416
Case Type: StandardCase Features: Water-Related, Humanoid/Occupant, Group Sighting
Chilean Navy ship encounters large UFO; tracked on radar
October, 24, 1969 - Chile
The incident involved a Chilean Naval destroyer and was witnessed by crew members and the commander of the vessel. Up to six UFOs, including one large object, were observed. The objects were verified on radar and observed visually. As the main object moved over the ship, the vessel's power went out." View full report
Source: Bill Chalker ID: 1016
Case Type: StandardCase Features: Military, Water-Related, Radar, Multiple UFOs, Humming, E-M Effects, Body Lights, Group Sighting
Disc-shaped object with dome in Omaha, Nebraska
May, 12, 1968 - Omaha, Nebraska, United States
"Directly over the restaurant's parking lot, at an altitude I estimate at no more than one hundred feet, was a UFO. The object was circular, with a flat bottom and an opaque dome on the top. I estimate the diameter of the object at 35 to 50 feet. It held absolutely still and made absolutely no noise. On top of the dome was a single, steady white light. Around the rim were solid white lights in the shape of rectangles with rounded corners, separated from each other by unlit space. The lights flashed around the rim in a counter-clockwise direction like lights on a theater marquee." View full report
Source: NUFORC (National UFO Reporting Center), Peter Davenport, Director ID: 1133
Case Type: RawReport Features: Body Lights, Silent, Group Sighting
Two-hundred people observe and hear disk-shaped object overhead (Redlands Sighting)
February, 4, 1968 - Redlands, California, United States
On February 4, 1968, about two hundred residents of Redlands, California, either saw or heard what was apparently the same huge, low-flying, disk-shaped object as it passed overhead. A minister conducting services in a church in Redlands was recording his sermon at the time and obtained a recording of the sound, which many people present described as a high-pitched, modulated whining sound. View full report
Source: APRO / Ronald Story, 1980 / NICAP website (nicap.org) ID: 777
Case Type: StandardCase Features: Mass Sighting, Group Sighting, Clergy, Body Lights, Rotary/Spin Motion, Sound
Over 200 students witness saucer-shape object, physical traces left behind (Westall Incident)
April, 6, 1966 - Westall, Australia
More than 200 students and staff from two schools watched as the object landed in a nearby paddock, lifted off and vanished. It was a low-flying, silver/grey shining object, either of classical flying saucer shape or close to it, "a cup turned upside down on a saucer". The UFO appears to have left a circle of scorched grass. View full report
Source: The Age (Australia), October 2, 2005 ID: 591
Case Type: StandardCase Features: Physical Trace, Group Sighting, Children, Witness Photo, Landing, Witness Sketch
Sheriffs Watch High-Performance Discs (The Michigan Sightings / 'Swamp Gas' Case)
March, 14, 1966 - Dexter-Hillsdale, Michigan, United States
Washtenaw County sheriffs and police in neighboring jurisdictions reported disc-shaped objects moving at fantastic speeds and making sharp turns, diving and climbing, and hovering. At one point, four UFOs in straight-line formation were observed. Selfridge AFB confirmed tracking UFOs over Lake Erie at 4:56 a.m. Their stories were backed up by more than 100 witnesses View full report
Source: FUFOR (Fund for UFO Research) ID: 778
Case Type: MajorCase Features: Police, Radar, Witness Sketch, Group Sighting, Mass Sighting
Disc-shaped UFO, larger than full moon, seen by police officers and others
September, 26, 1963 - Sunnyvale, California, United States
During the early morning of September 26, 1963, a UFO was sighted by people in scattered locations around the San Francisco Bay area. Officer Galen Anderson of Sunnvale Police Dept. observed the UFO for 45 seconds and submitted a particularly detailed report. This object appeared larger than a full moon, according to Officer Anderson, about basketball size at about 8 feet away. View full report
Source: NICAP / Richard Hall, 1964 (reported in San Jose Mercury News and SF Chronicle) ID: 645
Case Type: StandardCase Features: Police, Group Sighting
Disc-shaped UFO hovers, then evades pursuit by pilot
October, 2, 1961 - Salt Lake City, Utah, United States
A grayish disc-shaped object which hovered, wobbling on its axis, then evaded pursuit, was sighted October 2, 1961 at Salt Lake City, Utah airport. Private pilot Waldo J. Harris, a real estate broker, investigated the object in his light aircraft as 8-10 ground personnel at the airport watched. The object was disc shaped, 50 feet in diameter, and 8-10 feet thick. View full report
Source: NICAP / Richard Hall (1964) from NICAP case report ID: 638
Case Type: StandardCase Features: Witness Sketch, Pilot/Aircrew, Group Sighting
Father Gill / Papua New Guinea Sighting
June, 26, 1959 - Papua New Guinea
William B. Gill, an Anglican priest with a mission in Bosinai, Papas New Guinea, observed craft-like UFOs -- one with Humanoid figures on top -- on two consecutive evenings, June 26-27, 1959. About twenty-five natives, including teachers and medical technicians, also observed the phenomena. They "signaled" the humanoids and received an apparent response. This was one of sixty UFO sightings within a few weeks in the New Guinea area. View full report
Source: Bill Chalker, from 'The Oz Files' ID: 67
Case Type: MajorCase Features: Humanoid/Occupant, Interaction/Reaction, Clergy, Portholes/Windows, Group Sighting, Witness Sketch
Strategic Air Command Officers Watch UFO With Satellite Objects
September, 8, 1958 - Offutt Air Force Base, Omaha, Nebraska, United States
At SAC headquarters in 1958, a group of officers, airmen and missile engineers observed an elongated UFO with satellite objects for about 20 minutes. The case was reported to NICAP by Major Paul A. Duich, USAF (Ret.). Until recently, Major Duich was an Air Force Master Navigator, accumulating 4000 flying hours and 300 combat hours. View full report
Source: Richard Hall, The UFO Evidence, 1964 ID: 1098
Case Type: StandardCase Features: Military, Multiple UFOs, Group Sighting
Strategic Air Command officers watch UFO with satellite objects
September, 8, 1958 - Offutt AFB, Omaha, Nebraska, United States
At SAC headquarters in 1958, a group of officers, airmen and missile engineers observed an elongated UFO with satellite objects for about 20 minutes. According to the report filed by Major Paul A. Duich, USAF (Ret.), "all except a few of the airmen were seasoned, veteran flyers or highly trained missile engineers. We concluded that what was seen by all was no conventional vehicle, nor was it an atmospheric phenomenon." View full report
Source: NICAP / Richard Hall (1964) from NICAP case file ID: 641
Case Type: StandardCase Features: Military, Group Sighting, Witness Sketch
Multiple witnesses observe saucer above road in 1955, UK
July, 17, 1955 - Bexley, United Kingdom
It was July 17, 1955 when Margaret Fry spotted the object as she was making her way to her GP's surgery in King Harold's Way from her home in Hythe Avenue. Mrs Fry described it as saucer shaped with a "blue/silver/grey/pewter texture, yet none of those colours". She said it had three spheres set into its base, one of which "flopped out", landing on the ground at the junction of nearby Ashbourne and Whitfield roads. View full report
Source: The News Shopper, (London, UK), March 7, 2007 ID: 1054
Case Type: PressReport Features: Witness Photo, Humming, Rotary/Spin Motion, Body Lights, Portholes/Windows, Children, Group Sighting, Landing
The Flatwoods Monster
September, 12, 1952 - Flatwoods, West Virginia, United States
Just before dark on September 12, 1952, at Flatwoods, WV, some young school boys saw a fiery UFO streak across the sky and apparently land on a nearby hilltop. Rushing to the site, and gathering a few others along the way, they saw a pulsating red light, encountered a nauseating mist, and turned a flashlight on a pair of shining eyes, revealing a huge creature. As it hissed and glided at them, the group panicked and fled. The next day investigators discovered skid marks and an oil-like substance that presumably came from the UFO. View full report
Source: Subversive Element ID: 535
Case Type: MajorCase Features: Humanoid/Occupant, Children, Animal Reaction, Physical Trace, Landing, Group Sighting, Witness Photo
Engineer and others observe manuevering object in California
May, 13, 1952 - National City, California, United States
From the witness: "To the naked eye the object appeared as a sphere of about 1/16 inch diameter... Through the [6 power] telescope the object presented a larger disc but the brightness did not appreciably increase... In level flight the object seemed to dart from side to side in an oscillating motion without diminishing of forward speed...Its dive from an extreme altitude at possibly meteoric speed, its deceleration, leveling off, and circle of the city twice indicate that it arrived from interplanetary space and was under intelligent control." View full report
Source: Richard Hall, UFO Evidence, 1964 (NICAP - National Investigations Committee on Aerial Phenomenon) ID: 1097
Case Type: StandardCase Features: Group Sighting, Scientist/Engineer, Silent
