selected ufo cases

All Cases: Sorted by Oldest First

Cases 25 - 48 out of 565 in this section

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Aztec, New Mexico UFO Crash Recovery of 1948

1948 - Aztec, New Mexico, United States

It was the columnist Frank Scully who first alerted the world to sensational stories of recovered flying saucers and little men in his best-selling book Behind the Flying Saucers published in 1950. Scully claimed that up to that time there had been four such recoveries, one of which was alleged to have taken place around Aztec, New Mexico, when sixteen humanoid bodies were recovered together with their undamaged craft. View full report

Source: (Credit: aztecufo.com) ID: 879

Case Type: StandardCase Features: Crash/Retrieval, Humanoid/Occupant

The Thomas Mantell Incident (aircraft crashes after chasing UFO)

January, 7, 1948 - Godman Air Force Base, Kentucky, United States

Many stories have been written about the untimely death of Captain Thomas Mantell whose USAF P-51 Mustang aircraft crashed on the 7th. January 1948, shortly after having observed a UFO seen hovering in the air close to the US Army Air Force Base at Godman Field, Kentucky. The official Army Air Force verdict is that Mantell’s aircraft crashed after he blacked out owing to lack of oxygen while attempting to fly too high an altitude in what was later described as a high altitude weather balloon. View full report

Source: Tony Dodd, excerpt from 'Flight to destruction: The strange death of pilot Thomas Mantell' ID: 482

Case Type: MajorCase Features: Military, Pilot/Aircrew, Injury, Witness Photo

'Tomato Man' Photographs of Alien Body and the Laredo, Texas Crash

July, 7, 1948 - 38 Miles South of Laredo (Texas), Mexico

In 1978, a former Naval photographer released a series of photographs of the charred remains of a head and torso, which he claimed were extraterrestrial. He said that the photos were taken in 1948, when he was flown to Mexico, south of Laredo, Texas, to document the crash of 90-foot diameter "flying saucer" and its dead pilot. View full report

Source: Ron Schaffner, of the former Ohio UFO Investigators League (OUFOIL) ID: 378

Case Type: StandardCase Features: Alien Photograph, Humanoid/Occupant, Military, Crash/Retrieval

The Chiles-Whitted Case

July, 24, 1948 - Montgomery, Alabama, United States

Another one of the famous airline sightings of earlier years is the Chiles-Whitted Eastern Airlines case. An Eastern DC-3, en route from Houston to Atlanta, was flying at an altitude of about 5,000 ft.. near Montgomery. ...The object was some kind of vehicle. They saw no wings or empennage, but both were struck by a pair of rows of windows or some apparent openings from which there came a bright glow "like burning magnesium." View full report

Source: Dr. James E. McDonald, U.S. House Hearings, 1968 ID: 116

Case Type: MajorCase Features: Pilot/Aircrew, Witness Sketch, Portholes/Windows

Electrician and wife in Indianapolis see domed disc shaped object

July, 31, 1948 - Indianapolis, Indiana, United States

Vernon Swigert, an electrician, was standing by the bathroom window of his home when he first sighted an object. He ran to his kitchen where he pointed out the cymbal shaped or domed disc object to his wife. It was about 20 ft across, and 6-8 ft thick. Total time in sight was approximately 10 seconds, during which the object flew on a straight and level course from horizon to horizon, west to east. View full report

Source: U.S. Air Force Project Blue Book Special Report #14 (Battelle Institute Study), 1955 ID: 675

Case Type: SummaryReport

The Gorman Dogfight

October, 1, 1948 - Fargo, North Dakota, United States

On the evening of October 1st, 1948, Lieutenant Gorman was returning from a cross-country flight with his squadron of North Dakota Air National Guard, when he saw an unidentified light source. He closed to within about l,000 yards to take a good look, later saying, “It was about six to eight inches in diameter, clear white, and completely round without fuzz at the edges." For 27 hair-raising minutes, Gorman pursued the light through a series of intricate maneuvers. View full report

Source: North Dakota Public Radio, Dec. 10. 2003 ID: 704

Case Type: MajorCase Features: Pilot/Aircrew

Maneuvering elliptical UFO seen by trained observers at White Sands Proving Ground

April, 24, 1949 - White Sands Proving Ground , New Mexico, United States

"The object was an ellipsoid about 2-1/2 times as long as it was wide. It had a length of about .02 degrees subtended angle and was gleaming white in color. It did not have metallic or reflected shine. Toward the underside near the tail, the gleaming white became a light yellow. The object was seen under conditions of a cloudless sky and no haze. It left no vapor trail or exhaust. View full report

Source: Richard Hall, The UFO Evidence, 1964 (NICAP - National Investigations Committee on Aerial Phenomenon) ID: 1095

Case Type: StandardCase Features: Military, Sound, Group Sighting, Scientist/Engineer

Employees of aeronautical laboratory see metallic, disc-shaped object

May, 24, 1949 - Rogue River, Oregon, United States

An employee in the supersonic laboratory of an aeronautical laboratory and some other employees of this lab, were by a river, 2-1/2 miles from its mouth, when they saw an object. The time was about 1700 hours on May 24, 1949. The object was reflecting sunlight when observed by naked eye. It was of metallic construction and was seen with good enough resolution to show that the skin was dirty. View full report

Source: Dr. Bruce Maccabee / U.S. Air Force Project Blue Book Special Report 14 (Battelle Study), 1955 ID: 728

Case Type: StandardCase

Astronomer Clyde Tombaugh UFO Sighting (Astronomer Who Discovered Pluto)

August, 20, 1949 - Las Cruces, New Mexico, United States

Clyde Tombaugh was the American astronomer who discovered the planet Pluto. On August 20, 1949, he observed a UFO that appeared as a geometrically arranged group of six-to-eight rectangles of light, window-like in appearance and yellowish-green in color, which moved from northwest to southeast over Las Cruces, New Mexico. View full report

Source: Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia ID: 355

Case Type: MajorCase Features: Scientist/Engineer, Astronomer, Famous Person, Witness Photo

CBS News anchor Walter Cronkite's UFO Encounter in the South Pacific (1950's)

1950 -

In the 1950s Cronkite was part of a pool of news reporters brought out to a small South Pacific island to watch the test of a new Air Force missile... a large disc-type UFO appeared on the scene. Cronkite guessed that the object was about 50-60 feet in diameter, a dull grey color and had no visible means of propulsion. As Air Force guards ran toward the UFO with their dogs, the disc hovered about 30 feet off of the ground." View full report

Source: Bill Knell, UFO researcher ID: 1178

Case Type: StandardCase Features: Military, Witness Photo, Famous Person

The Farmington UFO Armada

March, 17, 1950 - Farmington, New Mexico, United States

"Fully half of this town's population still is certain today that it saw space ships or some strange aircraft -- hundreds of them zooming through the skies yesterday. Estimates of the number ranged from & quotes several to more that 500. The objects appeared to play tag high in the air. At times they streaked away at almost unbelievable speeds." View full report

Source: Farmington Daily Times, March 18, 1950 ID: 880

Case Type: PressReport Features: Multiple UFOs, Group Sighting, Mass Sighting

Cylindrical UFO Photographed Over New York City

March, 20, 1950 - New York City, New York, United States

This cylindrical-appearing UFO was photographed over New York City on March 20, 1950. The photographer's name was deleted from Project Blue Book's files -- as were most names when the material was finally declassified and released. Upon investigating the report, Project Grudge officially labeled it: "the moon"! View full report

Source: Knight ID: 407

Case Type: SummaryReport Features: Photo

Airline pilots observe fast-moving, disc-shaped UFO over Arkansas

March, 20, 1950 - Stuttgart, Arkansas, United States

Chicago & Southern Airlines Capt. Jack Adams and First Officer G. W. Anderson, Jr., were flying a commercial DC-3, when they saw an object approaching the airliner at high speed. It appeared to be circular (disk-shaped), with a diameter of approximately 100 feet. The bottom side appeared to have 9 to 12 symmetrical oval or circular portholes. Capt. Adams estimated the speed to be in excess of 1000 mph. View full report

Source: U.S. Air Force Project Blue Book Special Report #14 (Battelle Institute Study), 1955 ID: 677

Case Type: StandardCase Features: Pilot/Aircrew, Portholes/Windows, Witness Sketch, Witness Photo

Man encounters humanoids at Varese, Italy (the Bruno Facchini case)

April, 24, 1950 - Varese, Italy

Bruno Facchini heard and saw sparks coming from a dark, hovering object, near which a man dressed in tight-fitting clothes and wearing a helmet seemed to be making repairs. Three other men were seen near the craft. The full realization of what he was witnessing sent Bruno into a full run away from the frightening encounter, at which point one of the beings projected a "light" from a tube and the witness fell to the ground. When the work was finished, a trap through which light had been shining was closed and the craft took off. View full report

Source: Ezio Bernardini, excerpt from FSR 1987 No. 4 ID: 746

Case Type: StandardCase Features: Humanoid/Occupant, Physiological Effects, Physical Trace, Artifact, Witness Photo

McMinnville, Oregon UFO Photographs

May, 11, 1950 - McMinnville, Oregon, United States

Two of the most notorious UFO photos of all time were taken on a farm near Mcminnville by a farmer named Paul A. Trent. Beyond many such cases, these two photos have withstood the test of time--through generations of researchers. View full report

Source: STUDIOVNI ID: 258

Case Type: MajorCase Features: Photo

Korean War battlefield UFO encounter; physiological effects

1951 - Chorwon, Korea, Republic

"We suddenly noticed on our right-hand side what appeared to be a jack-o-lantern come wafting down across the mountain... It had an orange glow in the beginning... But then this object approached us. And it turned a blue-green brilliant light... and then, we were attacked. We were swept by some form of a ray that was emitted in pulses... then I saw it shoot off at a 45 degree angle, that quick, just there and gone." View full report

Source: John Timmerman, J. Allen Hynek Center For UFO Studies (credit: CNI News) ID: 1076

Case Type: StandardCase Features: Military, Group Sighting, Light Beam, Physiological Effects, Sound

The Bethune / Gandor Air Encounter

February, 10, 1951 - Gandor, Newfoundland, Canada

US Naval Reserve Lieutenant Graham Bethune, copilot of Flight 125, first sighted a huge object [at least] 300 feet in diameter on a near collision course with their aircraft. "A rough estimate would be at least 300 feet in diameter, over 1,000 miles per hour in speed, and approached to within 5 miles of the aircraft." View full report

Source: Disclosure Project / NICAP website / ufologien.net ID: 980

Case Type: StandardCase Features: Pilot/Aircrew, Military, Radar, Witness Photo, Witness Sketch

Cigar-shaped UFO over Mt. Kilimanjaro witnessed by pilot and passengers

February, 19, 1951 - Mt. Kilimanjaro, Tanzania

In 1951 a huge cigar-shaped UFO, which hovered over the famous Mt. Kilimanjaro, was photographed from an East African Airways plane flying in the vicinity, and witnessed by the crew and passengers. After remaining motionless for a considerable period of time, the object suddenly climbed steeply and disappeared. The movie film was developed and reportedly showed a clear and sizeable image of the object, according to the Natal Mercury. View full report

Source: NICAP / Richard Hall, 1964 (citing Nairobi Sunday Post, Feb. 25, 1951) ID: 648

Case Type: StandardCase Features: Pilot/Aircrew, Group Sighting

Squadron of Discs Over Atomic Test Site

October, 1951 - Nellis Air Force Base, Yucca Flat, Nevada, United States

Formation of 18 silvery, rotating, disc-shaped objects, each one with a dome, come down over a nuclear test site, hover for 10 to 15 minutes, and then depart, at an angle, vanishing out of sight in seconds." View full report

Source: NICAP, Walter Webb ID: 35

Case Type: StandardCase Features: Military, Nuclear Facility

F-86 intercepts and shoots at saucer-shaped UFO

1952 - United States

In the summer of 1952 a United States Air Force F-86 jet interceptor shot at a flying saucer. This fact, like so many others that make up the full flying saucer story has never before been told... The object was definitely round and flat saucer shaped. The pilot described it as being "like a doughnut without a hole." View full report

Source: Captain Edward J. Ruppelt, 'The Report on Unidentified Flying Objects' (Credit: NICAP.org) ID: 1024

Case Type: StandardCase Features: Pilot/Aircrew, Military, Radar

Puerto Maldonado Photograph (Cigar-shaped object with trail photographed in Argentina)

1952 - Puerto Maldonado, Peru

On July 19, 1952, the attention of Customs Inspector Sr. Domingo Troncoso was called to a very strange cigar-shaped flying object over the river area. The big dirigible-shaped craft was flying horizontally and fairly low in the sky, passing from right to left from the observers position. It was leaving a dense trail of thick smoke, vapor, or substance on its wake. The object was estimated to be over a hundred feet long. View full report

Source: Wendelle Stevens / B.J. Booth / Mark Cashman ID: 876

Case Type: StandardCase Features: Photo, E-M Effects

Several groups of UFOs fly over witnesses in Flint, Michigan

April, 20, 1952 - Flint, Michigan, United States

A naval aviation student, his wife, and several others were at a drive-in movie, during which time they saw several groups of objects fly over. There were from two to nine objects in a group and there were about 20 groups. The objects were shaped like conventional aircraft. The unaccountable feature of the objects was that each had a red glow surrounding it and was glowing itself, although it was a cloudless night. View full report

Source: U.S. Air Force Project Blue Book Special Report #14 (Battelle Institute Study), 1955 ID: 671

Case Type: SummaryReport Features: Multiple UFOs, Group Sighting

Scientist Reports Sighting Disc

April, 25, 1952 - San Jose, California, United States

Directly over a building across the street was a small, metallic-looking disc, tilted at about a 20 degree angle and rotating around a vertical axis, wobbling "like the motion of a disc in a water meter". The distance was estimated to be about 50 ft, and the disc appeared to be 4-5 feet in diameter View full report

Source: NICAP, Dr. James McDonald ID: 34

Case Type: StandardCase Features: Scientist/Engineer

Canadian Naval Officer Has Close Encounter In Hawaiian Waters, 1952

May, 1952 - Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, United States

From the witness: "Suddenly one of these objects appeared at close range on our port bow at a low elevation. It was disc shaped and consisted of a very bright light with black windows running around the whole side which was visible to us. It maintained perfect station on us for at least fifteen minutes. I scanned the object with binoculars attempting to see into the windows but saw nothing." View full report