selected ufo cases
Cases with Images or Photographs
Police officer observes and photographs disc in Colfax, Wisconsin
April, 19, 1978 - Colfax, Wisconsin, United States
On April 19, 1978, police officer Mark Coltrane was on patrol in the vicinity of Colfax. He then noticed a metalic looking disc raising towards the the sky at a short distance from the parking space. While the object seemed to move towards him, Coltrane picked up his Polaroid camera, came out of the car and snapped some photographs. The object was so close in one of the images that it is possible to notice some details of its lower surface. View full report
Source: Wendelle Stevens (credit: UFOs at Close Sight (Ufologie.net) ID: 877
Case Type: SummaryReport Features: Photo, E-M Effects, Police
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
Construction worker sees massive disc-shaped object
March, 1, 1978 - Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States
A Pittsburgh construction worker and his girlfriend claimed they saw a massive disc-shaped object settle about 2,000 feet over Highland Reservoir. He estimated its size as larger than the reservoir itself. Paul Oles, program director for Buhl Planetarium, also saw a bright light which he "can't explain," about one hour earlier. View full report
Source: Pittsburgh Post-Gazette (Pittsburgh, PA), March 4, 1978 ID: 438
Case Type: PressReport Features: Humming
Fort Dix / McGuire AFB Case
January, 18, 1978 - Fort Dix/McGuire AFB, New Jersey, United States
The primary eyewitness in the case, Jeffrey Morse, alleged (i) that he had been working as a security policeman at McGuire AFB when he was notified about UFO activity over Fort Dix army base. (ii) Morse alleged that he heard that a non-human entity had been shot and he later saw the dead body of the entity lying on the ground on a disused runway at McGuire AFB. View full report
Source: NIDS, National Institute for Discovery Science ID: 317
Case Type: MajorCase Features: Military, Humanoid/Occupant, Witness Sketch
Woman in Guernsey, UK watches circular UFO for 20 minutes
1978 - Grandes Rocques, Guernsey, United Kingdom
A woman from Grandes Rocques awoke in the early morning hours and saw a bright golden light, going very slowly. The circular object was in her view for around 20 minutes before it vanished from her sight, allowing Mrs Wilson to get a good look at it. 'It stopped quite often, and just hung in the air. As it stopped, it let out some stuff.' View full report
Source: Mark Ogier, Guernsey Evening Press (Guernsey, England), Jan. 12, 1993 ID: 763
Case Type: PressReport Features: Witness Sketch
Mass sighting of large jellyfish-like UFO over Petrosavodsk, USSR
September, 20, 1977 - Petrosavodsk, Russian Federation
Early risers in Petrosavodsk saw a bright light suddenly appearing amid the clouds at about 4:05 a.m. The star-like light came nearer and descended in a spiral trajectory, and soon looked like a ball of fire. Soon, it looked like an reddish-orange hemisphere surrounded by a bright zone. During the next few seconds, hundreds of thin rays of light, like thin arrows, were showered upon the earth. The thing now looked like a big jellyfish with golden tentacles, shining in beautiful colors. View full report
Source: Michael Hesemann, 1998 ID: 636
Case Type: StandardCase Features: Sound, Physical Trace, Mass Sighting
Abduction by robot-like beings in Brazil (La Rubia case)
September, 15, 1977 - Paciencia (near Rio de Janeiro), Brazil
Antonio La Rubia, a 33-year-old bus driver, encountered a huge object, which he estimated to be 70 meters (235 feet) across, sitting in a field near his home. He decided to retreat, but was unable to do so, for at the moment he started to run, an intensely bright light lit up the area, and he was unable to move. At that moment Antonio saw three "robots" positioned near him, and he was captured and taken into the disc. View full report
Source: APRO Bulletin, Vol. 26 No. 4, Oct. 1977 ID: 464
Case Type: StandardCase Features: Abduction, Physiological Effects, Injury, Humanoid/Occupant
UFO with two occupants seen by Dorset, UK woman
September, 1977 - Parkstone, United Kingdom
Mrs. Ethel May Field, 62, a housewife, had gone out to the back garden to take in washing from the clothes-line, when she heard a humming sound which prompted her to look at the sky. She encountered a round object with a dome on top. Standing inside the windows of the object were two humanoid occupants, one at each window. View full report
Source: Leslie Harris, FSR Vol. 24 No. 2 (1978) ID: 632
Case Type: StandardCase Features: 'Dyad Scout Craft', Humanoid/Occupant, Physiological Effects, Humming, Witness Photo, Communication
Man has close encounter with UFO occupants (the Dawson encounter)
August, 6, 1977 - Pelham, Georgia, United States
Retired automobile salesman Tom Dawson, 63, was walking with his two dogs from his trailer home to a nearby farm when a "circular shaped space ship" with a dome and portholes, 40-50 ft in diameter and 12-14 ft high, set down in a field in front of him. He found he was unable to move a muscle. A hatch in the object opened, a ramp was extended, and 7 strange looking humans 5 ft tall emerged, five men and two women. View full report
Source: Billy Rachels / Ronald Story (2001) ID: 657
Case Type: StandardCase Features: Humanoid/Occupant, Landing, 'Dyad Scout Craft'
Rotating disc with white lights
July, 1977 - Anderson, Indiana, United States
"I was staying in a motel in Anderson, Indiana, in the month of July of 1977, when my travelling companion burst in through the door to summon me outside. Once in the parking lot, I gazed up above the rooftop to witness a great disc gliding gently across our field of view, moving slowly and tilted at an angle." View full report
Source: APRO Bulletin, Vol. 32 No. 7 (September 1984) ID: 268
Case Type: RawReport
Pennsylvania man encounters UFO hovering over field next to home
March, 29, 1977 - Morgan Run, Pennsylvania, United States
Burton Woods, 45, of Morgan Run, PA, said he saw a craft hovering over a field near his mobile home. Woods suffered from headaches and blurred vision after the sighting. Much excitement was stirred by his UFO encounter, since he was able to get so close to the craft before it veered up and out of sight. The object was described as 170-200 feet in length. View full report
Source: The Clearfield Progress (Clearfield, PA), Apr. 4, 1977 ID: 694
Case Type: PressReport Features: Physiological Effects, Witness Sketch
Cigar-shaped UFO with smaller objects observed in Jemgum, Germany
March, 7, 1977 - Jemgum, Germany
A 16 year old student, standing in front of his parents house, observed a bright spot in the sky. Through his binoculars, he could see that the object was cigar-shaped and surrounded by an orange-colored halo. This object filled 4/5 of his field-of-view in the binoculars. It appeared reflective, almost glaring. Smaller objects were also observed. View full report
Source: Illobrand von Ludwiger / MUFON-CES (1998) ID: 654
Case Type: StandardCase Features: Multiple UFOs, Children
UFO hovers over two policemen in patrol car
February, 10, 1977 - Flora, Mississippi, United States
Madison County Sheriff's Deputy Kenneth Creel and Constable James Luke were on a routine patrol drive when they witnessed a 30 to 40 foot UFO which approached them at close range. "The thing came right over the car," said Creel. "...The thing just hovered over us, about 20 or 30 feet up, for more than a minute." View full report
Source: Madison Co. Herald (Canton, MS), Feb. 17, 1977 ID: 425
Case Type: Features: Police
Occupant Case in Tucson
February, 10, 1977 - Tucson, Arizona, United States
Ms. Lois Stovall was sitting on her couch when she noticed a light, like a bright star. It curved toward her house, approaching at a low level. Lois and her grandmother went out into the yard, less than 50 feet from the hovering object and watched. The object was almost capsule-shaped. Inside crouched a human-shaped figure, all over gray in color, that looked puffed up, like a balloon. View full report
Source: APRO Bulletin, Vol. 25 No. 8 (Feb. 1977) ID: 358
Case Type: StandardCase Features: Humanoid/Occupant
Brightly lit silvery colored craft during period of heavy UFO activity
February, 8, 1977 - Louisiana, United States
The first two months of 1977 brought heavy UFO activity to the state of Louisiana and eastward. On Tuesday, February 8, Mrs. Gayle Rodriguez and her son, Brian, were driving east on St. Bernard highway they saw a brightly lit silvery colored craft which flew across the highway in front of them and began a course parallel to the road. View full report
Source: Ted Peters, APRO Bulletin, Vol. 25, No. 9, March, 1977 ID: 137
Case Type: StandardCase Features: Portholes/Windows
Abduction by machine-like beings
January, 27, 1977 - Prospect, Kentucky, United States
Lee Parish, 19, experienced missing time after seeing a UFO. Through hypnosis, he recovered the lost memory of his experience aboard the ship. "Before him stood three objects which he instinctively felt or sensed were sentient beings, although they were definitely not human: a "black one," a "red one," and a "white one."" View full report
Source: Carlo Ruekeri, APRO Bulletin, Vol. 25 No. 7 (Jan. 1977) ID: 354
Case Type: StandardCase Features: Abduction, Missing Time
Youth reports UFOs with 'greenish creatures'
January, 19, 1977 - Harrah, Washington, United States
Nine-year-old Jose Cantu of Harrah woke his mother up at about 6:30 a.m. asking her to explain the little "man" he saw outside. According to the boy, he had seen two greenish creatures about three feet tall, who rotated on a base instead of having feet, and two "steely" crafts in which 2 other creatures were sitting. View full report
Source: Toppenish Review (Toppenish, WA), Jan. 26, 1977 ID: 462
Case Type: PressReport Features: Humanoid/Occupant, Children, Witness Sketch, Physical Trace
Several witnesses view oval shaped object
December, 6, 1976 - West Simi Valley, California, United States
"It sat in one place in midair for approximately 45 minutes. It had a red light on top and green on the bottom. The position of these lights changed. There was a very bright white light in the center." All of the witnesses in this case were interviewed separately. All reported seeing the same type object as described. View full report
Source: APRO Bulletin, Vol. 25 No. 6 (Dec. 1976) ID: 353
Case Type: StandardCase
F-4 Jet Chase over Iran 1976
September, 18, 1976 - Tehran, Iran
One of the best documented UFO-aircraft incidents, when a UFO was observed flying over the restricted airspace of Tehran, Iran. Two U.S.-made F-4 Phantom II jet fighters of the Imperial Iranian Air Force were scrambled, but as the pilots closed in on the target, their communications and weapons systems were suddenly jammed. The incident was confirmed by high ranking officers of the Iranian Air Force and later documented by several agencies of the U.S. military. View full report
Source: Don Berliner, UFO Briefing Document: The Best Available Evidence ID: 200
Case Type: MajorCase Features: E-M Effects, Radar, Pilot/Aircrew, Military
The Allagash Abductions
August, 26, 1976 - Allagash Wilderness Waterway, Maine, United States
In August of 1976, four young art students in their early twenties left for a canoe and camping trip in Maine's Allagash Wilderness. On one night during the trip, they encountered a huge oval, glowing object rising above the trees nearby, and were soon engulfed in a beam of light from the craft. As discovered in hypnosis sessions years later, it was at this point that all four were abducted into the craft and subjected to physical examinations. View full report
Source: Raymond E. Fowler ID: 466
Case Type: MajorCase Features: Missing Time, Abduction, Witness Photo, Witness Sketch, Interaction/Reaction, Light Beam
UFO with 'light extensions' seen by many in Namibia
August, 16, 1976 - Walvish Bay, Namibia
Several people witnessed a strange object over the wilderness in Walvish Bay, Namibia, Africa. This same object was also seen one month earlier. It was described as having a top (with a round ball underneath) that shone brilliantly. Two light extensions were also shining and shot off something which looked like sparks. View full report
Source: Namib Times (Namibia, Africa), Aug. 17, 1976 ID: 422
Case Type: PressReport
Boys on camping trip report sighting UFO
July, 26, 1976 - Patesville, Kentucky, United States
Five boys were camping in a forest valley, when at around 11 p.m. one of the boys glimpsed a bright, glowing bell-shaped object traveling at fantastic speed in an east-to-west direction. The object was a glowing, golden color, and maintained an altitude of 450-500 feet'. The boys described it as emitting "sparkles" from the rear as it traversed the sky. View full report
Source: Hancock County Clarion (Hawesville, KY), July 29, 1976 ID: 418
Case Type: PressReport Features: Children
Saturn-shaped Object seen and photographed in Brazil
May, 12, 1976 - Passo Fondo, Brazil
Mr. Joshua da Silva and Mr. Gesareo Goncalves were driving in Goncalves' car. At ten A.M. when they were less than fifty kilometers from Passo Fondo, da Silva spotted a silver metallic spherical object resembling the planet Saturn, replete with ring. They estimated the object which had a "brushed metal" surface to be six to eight meters (twenty to twenty six feet) in diameter. View full report
Source: APRO Bulletin, Nov. 1978 ID: 409
Case Type: StandardCase Features: Photo
Police officer has repeat sighting
April, 22, 1976 - Elmwood, Wisconsin, United States
At about 11 p.m., George Wheeler, a relief policeman at the town of Elmwood, WI, encountered a strange glowing object which he estimated was about 500 feet distant and hovering about 100 feet off the ground. There were six bluish-white lights, windows or portholes on the side and he could see shadows as if someone was moving inside of it. This case involves apparent electro-mechanical effects, multiple witnesses, and possible animal reaction. View full report
Source: APRO Bulletin, Vol. 24 No. 10 (Apr 1976) ID: 341
Case Type: StandardCase Features: E-M Effects, Police, Animal Reaction, Multiple UFOs, Witness Photo, Witness Sketch, Portholes/Windows
