selected ufo cases
Night Discs (ND) (modified Hynek)
South African constables observe disc-shaped object resting on highway
September, 16, 1965 - Pretoria, South Africa
On the night of September 16 two Pretoria, S. Africa, constables came upon a disc-shaped object resting on the highway. The headlights of their police van illuminated the copper-colored object which appeared to be about 30 feet in diameter. On top of the UFO was a small dome. In seconds the UFO suddenly lifted off the road, emitting tongues of flame. View full report
Source: NICAP (National Investigations Committee on Aerial Phenomenon), ID: 555
Case Type: StandardCase Features: Police, Physical Trace, Landing
The Langenhoe Incident (Motorcyclist encounters UFO)
September, 14, 1965 - Mersea island, Essex, United Kingdom
"I could make out some sort of an outline and an enormous object spun into view, looming up large and uncanny out of the sky. It resembled the upper half of a large spinning top and was about the size of a gasometer. There appeared to be a dome on top, inside of which was flashing a strange blue light." View full report
Source: Dr. Bernard E. Finch, FSR Nov-Dec 1965 ID: 631
Case Type: StandardCase Features: Humming, Sound, Physiological Effects, Animal Reaction, Scientist/Engineer, Vehicle Interference
Large cylinder-shaped object flies low over Brooklyn, NY
August, 1965 - New York City/Brooklyn, New York, United States
Form the witness: "Suddenly, as I looked to the left of me, I saw what I first mentally equated as a submarine perhaps two story's off the ground higher than the six story buildings beneath it. Here comes this thing, slow and steady and silent.... As it proceeded to float past us, we observed its right side. It is solid. It is a perfect and very long dark grey cylinder, and it just keeps coming very slowly and steadily." View full report
Source: Brian Vike, HBCCUFO Research (hbccufo.org) ID: 1041
Case Type: RawReport Features: Silent
Gemini 4 / Astronaut James McDivitt sighting of cylindrical object in space
June, 1965 -
In June 1965, Major James McDivitt saw, filmed, and photographed an object, which approached the Gemini IV (3rd June – 7th June 1965) capsule in which they were orbiting the Earth, passing over Hawaii. He stated: "It had a very definite shape - a cylindrical object - it was white - it had a long arm that stuck out on the side." View full report
Source: Patrick Gross, UFOs at Close Sight (ufologie.net) ID: 977
Case Type: StandardCase Features: Astronaut/Space
County councillor reveals sighting of dome-shaped UFO in Cornwall, UK
1965 - Karslake, Cornwall, United Kingdom
Joan Vincent, County and Restormel Borough Councillor, revealed that she and her husband Roy had observed a mystery craft late at night during 1965 in a then rural area. The matter remained "virtually a family secret" over the years because the couple feared that they would be ridiculed if they told their story. The UFO was "a large, dome-shaped object that looked as if it were made of glass," estimated to be 50-70 feet across and 30-40 feet high. View full report
Source: Ian Shepherd, Cornish Guardian (Bodmin, England), Nov. 26, 1998 ID: 729
Case Type: PressReport Features: Portholes/Windows, Witness Sketch, Witness Photo
Close-range sighting of domed UFO
June, 15, 1964 - Lynn, Massachusetts, United States
A close-range sighting of a domed UFO occurred at Lynn, Massachusetts on the night of June 15. The object was shaped like a disc, oriented in a horizontal position, flat on the bottom and with a domed upper surface. When first noticed, the domed disc was approximately 12 feet above the pavement, so that it was seen against the wall of the building on the opposite side of the courtyard. View full report
Source: NICAP (National Investigations Committee on Aerial Phenomenon), ID: 550
Case Type: StandardCase Features: E-M Effects
Strange-looking object hovers over neighborhood homes
June, 2, 1964 - Sunnyvale, California, United States
While driving toward her home on McKinley Avenue at 10:30 p.m. (PST) on June 2, Mrs. Bruce A. Holmes, of Sunnyvale, California, saw a strange-looking object about a city block's distance from her. The UFO hovered motionless over neighborhood homes at an altitude estimated to be no more than 150 feet and appeared to be about as large as "an 18 by 24-foot living room." The main body of the object was similar to a blimp, somewhat cigar-shaped, but fatter - possibly the shape of a disc thickened at the center. View full report
Source: NICAP (National Investigations Committee on Aerial Phenomenon), ID: 549
Case Type: StandardCase
Oval object rolling end over end
April, 1963 - Statesville, North Carolina, United States
"I recall looking up.. to see a strange oval shaped object rolling end over end passing directly overhead. I recall the object giving off different colors in a pulsing, vibratory sort of way... I would estimate it's altitude to be less than 300 feet off the ground... I do not recall hearing any sound whatever from the object but my brother and sister say it was somewhat like a humming sound." View full report
Source: UFOEvidence.org ID: 473
Case Type: RawReport Features: Witness Sketch, Humming
Cigar-shaped UFO with portholes seen by Honeywell metallurgist
November, 22, 1961 - Near Grafton, Nebraska, United States
A Minneapolis Honeywell metallurgist, Melvin C. Vagle, Jr., and his wife saw a cigar-shaped UFO while driving along U.S. Highway 81. "At the lower end. . . there was a bright 'flashing white light ann at the upper end there was a steady red light. Along the length of the fuselage there was a row of square-appearing ports, illuminated with a white yellowish light." View full report
Source: NICAP / Richard Hall, 1964 (original case in "The Honeywell World," Jan. 1962) ID: 644
Case Type: StandardCase Features: Scientist/Engineer, Portholes/Windows
Two patrolmen see glowing red UFO in New Jersey
December, 20, 1958 - Dunellen, New Jersey, United States
Patrolmen LeRoy A. Arboreen and B. Talada were on night patrol when they saw an object coming from the west. "At first it looked like a red hot piece of coal about the size of a quarter held at arm's length. In a matter of seconds it was as large as a ruler held at arm's length... The body of the object was solid bright red and it gave off a pulsating red glow... The object hovered a few seconds, then made a left turn and again hovered for a few seconds, then went straight up like a shot." View full report
Source: NICAP / Richard Hall (1964) from NICAP case report ID: 639
Case Type: StandardCase Features: Police, Witness Sketch
Technician watches glowing white UFO near Larson AFB
December, 22, 1952 - Larson AFB, Moses Lake, Washington, United States
An instrument technician, while driving from a large city toward an Air Force base on December 22, 1952, saw an object from his car at 1930 hours. It suddenly moved up toward the zenith in spurts from right to left at an angle of about 45°. It then moved off in level flight at a high rate of speed, during which maneuver it appeared white most of the time, but apparently rolled three times showing a red side. View full report
Source: U.S. Air Force Project Blue Book Special Report #14 (Battelle Institute Study), 1955 ID: 674
Case Type: SummaryReport
Two disc-shaped UFOs seen by marine engineer in Holland
August, 7, 1952 - Kerkrade, Netherlands
On the night of August 6-7, 1952, Will Jansen, a marine engineer and designer, was visiting in Kerkrade, Holland. Just after midnight a disc-shaped craft with visible superstructure swooped down to low altitude, hovered, zigzagged and sped away. A second disc-shaped UFO, similar in outline, was then seen hovering farther away. Finally it tilted up vertically and shot up out of sight. View full report
Source: NICAP / Richard Hall, 1964 (from letter to CSI of Los Angeles) ID: 647
Case Type: SummaryReport Features: Scientist/Engineer, Multiple UFOs
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
Source: Gavin McLeod, UFO*BC, 3-6-98 (credit: Rense.com) ID: 1078
Case Type: StandardCase Features: Portholes/Windows, Military, Silent, Water-Related
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
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
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
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
The 1942 'Battle of Los Angeles'
February, 25, 1942 - Los Angeles, California, United States
Imagine a visiting spacecraft from another world, or dimension, hovering over a panicked and blacked-out LA in the middle of the night just weeks after Pearl Harbor at the height of WWII fear and paranoia. Imagine how this huge ship, assumed to be some unknown Japanese aircraft, was then attacked as it hung, nearly stationary, over Culver City and Santa Monica by dozens of Army anti-aircraft batteries in full view of hundreds of thousands of residents. Imagine all of that and you have an idea of what was the Battle of Los Angeles. View full report
Source: Jeff Rense, Rense.com ID: 509
Case Type: MajorCase Features: Photo, Mass Sighting
Christopher Columbus UFO sighting in 1492
October, 11, - Atlantic Ocean,
In 1492, Christopher Columbus and Pedro Gutierrez while on the deck of the Santa Maira, observed, "a light glimmering at a great distance." It vanished and reappeared several times during the night, moving up and down, "in sudden and passing gleams." View full report
Source: 'The Life and Voyages of Christopher Columbus' ID: 487
Case Type: StandardCase Features: Famous Person, Water-Related, Witness Photo
