selected ufo cases
Cases by Decade: 1950s
Low hovering cylinder-shaped UFO with tube seen in Nashville, TN, 1956
1956 - Nashville, Tennessee, United States
Two eleven-year olds were playing when they heard a strange metallic sound. They looked around and saw a cylinder-shaped craft hovering very still a few feet above a tree. It was 20-25 feet in length. There was writing on the belly of the object, and a long silver tube which protruded from bottom. This tube was "sniffing" the leaves in the tree top. The witnesses watched the object for 3-4 minutes, too scared to move, before running home. View full report
Source: UFOEvidence.org ID: 767
Case Type: RawReport Features: Sound, Witness Sketch
U.S. Senator Richard Russell Sees disc-shaped UFO in USSR
October, 13, 1955 - Russian Federation
U.S. Senator Richard B. Russell, Jr. (D-GA), then chairman of the Armed Services Committee, was on a Soviet train when he spotted a disc-shaped craft taking off near the tracks. He hurriedly called his military aide and interpreter to the window and they saw the UFO, plus another one that appeared a minute later. View full report
Source: UFOs at Close Sight (Patrick Gross) ID: 9
Case Type: MajorCase Features: Famous Person, Witness Photo
The Kelly-Hopkinsville 'Goblins' Encounter
August, 21, 1955 - Kelly, Kentucky, United States
Billy Ray Taylor went out to fetch some water from the Sutton family well, when he saw a large shining object land in a gully about a city block away. A short time later, Carl "Lucky" Sutton and Billy Ray went out to investigate and saw a small 3-to-4 foot creature walking towards them with its hands up, as if surrendering. They later described the creature, one of several encountered that night, as having large eyes, a long thin mouth, large ears, thin short legs, and hands ending in claws. View full report
Source: Loy Lawhon, About.com ID: 524
Case Type: MajorCase Features: Humanoid/Occupant, Witness Photo
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
Navy Sees 'Flying Saucers' on Radar Screen
December, 16, 1954 - Goulburn, Australia
Navy pilot has reported seeing two "flying saucers" flash past him while he was flying over Goulburn, N.S.W. Radar officers at Nowra Fleet Air station picked up the objects on their screen. View full report
Source: Daily Telegraph December 16th 1954 ID: 22
Case Type: PressReport Features: Radar, Pilot/Aircrew, Military
The 1954 Cennina Landing and Encounter with Humanoids
November, 1, 1954 - Cennina, Italy
Rosa Lotti was walking into Cennina, when she perceived a big vertical spindle, "like 2 cones joined at their bases." From behind this craft emerged two little men 3 ft tall, who approached her with friendly expressions, the older one laughing. They were speaking a language that sounded like Chinese, 'liu, lai, loi." Approaching Lotti, they snatched from her the carnations and one of her stockings. Lotti ran away. A deep hole in the ground was later found at the site. View full report
Source: Sergio Conti, excerpt from FSR (Sept/Oct 1972) ID: 703
Case Type: StandardCase Features: Humanoid/Occupant, Landing, Physical Trace
Engineer observes lens-shaped disc in New York
October, 1954 - Cherry Valley, New York, United States
"It seemed to be a large disc or lens-shaped object, and in comparison with the objects below I estimated it to be perhaps 30 or 35 feet in diameter... It was moving like a wheel sliding sidewise and not rotating, and in perspective presented an elliptical appearance such as any circular object would when viewed from an anglel...The color was gray." View full report
Source: Richard Hall, The UFO Evidence, 1964 (NICAP) ID: 1096
Case Type: StandardCase Features: Silent, Scientist/Engineer
The 'Sea Fury' Incident
August, 31, 1954 - Nowra, Australia
One of the most controversial radar visual reports of the fifties occurred on August 31st, 1954. The story leaked out in December, 1954, and made front page headlines. The official navy file on the event remained classified until the Directorate of Naval Intelligence released a copy upon my request in 1982. During his 1973 visit to Australia, Dr. Hynek was able to interview the pilot involved in this famous incident. View full report
Source: Bill Chalker ID: 66
Case Type: MajorCase Features: Radar, Pilot/Aircrew, Military
Teenage Girls See Saucer
June, 6, 1954 - Dandenong, Melbourne outer suburb, Australia
Girls claim, a ‘flying saucer hovered less than 20 yards above their heads. A cylindrical shape, about 30ft. Long and 15ft. High, with a canopy and window on top and a window on each end View full report
Source: Sunday Telegraph June 13th 1954 / Australian UFO Research Network ID: 19
Case Type: PressReport Features: Children
'Human Figures Seen in Saucer'
June, 1954 - East Malvern and Carnegie , Australia
Witnesses said they thought they had seen human figures in a flying saucer. They saw the figures through portholes in the saucer they said. Six people reported having seen a pear-shaped, green object. View full report
Source: Daily Telegraph JUNE 1954 / Australian UFO Research Network ID: 20
Case Type: PressReport Features: Humanoid/Occupant, Portholes/Windows
Circular object, appearing as a flaming ring, seen by architect
April, 26, 1954 - Newburyport, Massachusetts, United States
Russell M. Peirce, architect, reported a circular object which made a right-angle turn. "I was standing at the rear of the local High School building talking with two friends... Suddenly we all heard a very loud deep roar as of many motors... The object as I first saw it appeared as a flaming ring. The color was a little on the whitish tone but also had some suggestion of the orange-yellow of the common flame of burning wood, say." View full report
Source: NICAP / Richard Hall, 1964 (from NICAP case file) ID: 646
Case Type: StandardCase Features: Sound, Witness Sketch
The Kinross Air Force Base Incident (jet disappears while chasing UFO)
November, 23, 1953 - Lake Superior, Michigan, United States
On the evening of 23 November 1953, an Air Force radar controller became alerted to an "unidentified target" over Lake Superior, and an F-89C Scorpion jet was scrambled from Kinross AFB. Radar controllers watched as the F-89 closed in on the UFO, and then sat stunned in amazement as the two blips merged on the screen, and the UFO left. The F-89 and it’s two man crew, pilot Felix Moncla and radar operator Robert Wilson, were never found, even after a thorough search of the area. View full report
Source: Loy Lawhon, About.com ID: 610
Case Type: MajorCase Features: Pilot/Aircrew, Military, Radar, Witness Photo
Ellsworth Air Force Base UFO Incident
August, 5, 1953 - Ellsworth AFB, South Dakota, United States
Shortly after dark on the night of twelfth [sic], the Air Defense Command radar station at Ellsworth AFB, just east of Rapid City, had received a call from the local Ground Observer Corps filter center. A lady spotter at Black Hawk, about 10 miles west of Ellsworth, had reported an extremely bright light low on the horizon, off to the northeast. View full report
Source: Captain Edward J. Ruppelt, Former Director of Project Blue Book ID: 41
Case Type: MajorCase Features: Radar, Pilot/Aircrew, Military
Round, metallic object near Livermore, California
1953 - Livermore, California, United States
John B. Bean was a flyer with 17 years experience. "it was perfectly round and had a metallic sheen somewhat similar to that of aluminum with a satin finish... It also began to climb at the most terrific rate of ascent that I have ever witnessed." View full report
Source: Richard Hall, UFO Evidence, 1964 (NICAP) ID: 1103
Case Type: StandardCase
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
B-29 Radar Visual, Multiple Witness Observations
December, 6, 1952 - Gulf of Mexico, United States
When watching the radarscope, Coleman observed two UFOs which he tracked at a speed in excess of 5.000 miles per hour, quite impossible for planes of the day. View full report
Source: UFOs at Close Sight (Patrick Gross) ID: 16
Case Type: MajorCase Features: Pilot/Aircrew, Military, Radar
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
'Figures' seen through windows of oval-shaped object
August, 25, 1952 - Pittsburg, Kansas, United States
Among those cases declared Unidentified by the Air Force which are reported to involve alleged occupants is a sighting by William Squyres. He described the object as resembling two turtle shells placed edge to edge. Along the rim where the two halves joined he noticed a series of small propellers six to twelve inches in diameter projecting outward all the way around the object. View full report
Source: NICAP (National Investigations Committee on Aerial Phenomenon), ID: 556
Case Type: StandardCase Features: Humanoid/Occupant, Physical Trace, Portholes/Windows
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
The Haneda AFB case, Japan, 1952
August, 5, 1952 - Haneda US Air Force Base , Near Tokyo, Japan, Japan
This is one of the cases that the Colorado Project has considered "explained" - a star and an anomalous radar propagation. Not so. On the contrary, as a careful study of the records shows, it is a very interesting case of anomalous flying objects in the sky who fly under intelligent control and cannot be of human origin. View full report
Source: UFOs at Close Sight (Patrick Gross) ID: 10
Case Type: StandardCase Features: Radar, Military
UFO seen at close range with appearance of occupant aboard
August, 1952 - Seat Pleasant, Maryland, United States
Sometime in August, 1952 (the exact date cannot be recalled) during the major UFO sighting wave of that year, Mrs. Suzanne E. Knight, a young housewife and mother, saw a UFO at close range with what appeared to be an occupant aboard. The UFO appeared to Mrs. Knight to resemble the wingless fuselage of a plane and was dull silver in color. View full report
Source: NICAP (National Investigations Committee on Aerial Phenomenon), ID: 557
Case Type: StandardCase Features: Humanoid/Occupant, Portholes/Windows
Lac Chauvet UFO Photos
July, 18, 1952 - Lac Chauvet, France
Andre Fregnale, an engineer and photographer, walked around France's Lake Chauvet taking pictures of a UFO that came out of the Northwest sky. The photographs have been scrutinized by many experts and all have found them to be real shots of a real UFO. View full report
Source: STUDIOVNI ID: 256
Case Type: StandardCase Features: Photo
The Nash-Fortenberry Sighting (aircraft encounter with formation of UFOs)
July, 14, 1952 - Virginia, United States
A Pan American World Airways DC-4 was on a routine flight from New York to Miami. The crew included Captain Koepke, First Officer William B. Nash and Second Officer William H. Fortenberry. Suddenly, they noticed six bright objects in echelon formation streaking toward them at tremendous speed. They had the fiery aspect of hot coals, but of much greater glow. View full report
Source: Tom Tulien, Sign Historical Group ID: 92
Case Type: MajorCase Features: Pilot/Aircrew, Witness Photo, Multiple UFOs
UFO with occupants encountered by former mayor in Hasselbach, Germany
July, 9, 1952 - Hasselbach, Germany
Oscar Linke, former Wehrmacht major, and his daughter Gabrielle, 11, had to leave their motorcycle when they had a flat tire. Inside the woods the girl noticed two men in silvery suits examining the ground in a clearing near a pink disk-shaped object, 13-15 meters in diameter, showing a double row of openings around the rim and a black turret on top. One of the men had a flashing box. Both men went inside, and the disk vibrated, rose along the turretlike cylinder, then spun faster and rose out of sight. View full report
Source: Kathimerini newspaper (Athens, Greece), 1952, found in declassfied CIA files ID: 715
Case Type: StandardCase Features: Humanoid/Occupant, Landing, Portholes/Windows, Humming, Physical Trace
