selected ufo cases
Famous / Classic / Major Cases
The Stephen Michalak Encounter at Falcon Lake
May, 20, 1967 - Falcon Lake, Manitoba, Canada
Stephen Michalak of Winnipeg, was prospecting near Falcon Lake, Manitoba, when he encountered two UFOs, one of which landed on a large, flat rock about 160 feet away from him. After having approached the object and looked inside, the object moved, and something like an exhaust vent was now in front of him. A blast of hot gas shot from these holes onto his chest, setting his shirt and undershirt on fire and causing him severe pain, and leaving burn marks in the shape of a grid. View full report
Source: Loy Lawhon, About.com ID: 376
Case Type: MajorCase Features: Physiological Effects, Landing, Injury, Witness Photo, Witness Sketch
Portage County, Ohio UFO Chase
April, 17, 1966 - Portage County, Ohio, United States
One of the most dramatic encounters by police officers with an apparently structured, low-level UFO. Officers chased the object for eighty-five miles, as it seemed to play a cat-and-mouse game with them. This case was the basis for the UFO "chase" in the film 'Close Encounters of the Third Kind.' View full report
Source: Richard Hall, NICAP website ID: 79
Case Type: MajorCase Features: Police, Witness Sketch, Humming
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
The 1966 Tully Saucer Nest
January, 19, 1966 - Near Tully, Australia
The Tully "saucer nest" has a very special place in UFO lore. The famous Tully "UFO nest" affair of 1966 is one of the best known accounts of an apparent UFO landing report. It is the focus of a very important nexus in the pivotal question of UFO reality. 1966 was a major year for UFO activity in Australia. View full report
Source: UFO Research Queensland ID: 65
Case Type: MajorCase Features: Physical Trace, Landing, Animal Reaction
The Kecksburg UFO Crash
December, 9, 1965 - Kecksburg, Pennsylvania, United States
An object landed in the tiny town of Kecksburg, PA on December 9, 1965. It was observed as a fireball in the sky across several U.S. states and Canada. Four witnesses have provided independent, corroborated descriptions of the object and its location in the Kecksburg woods. Dozens of others describe the military presence at the crash site, the cordoning off of the area, and the retrieval of an object transported by an army truck. View full report
Source: Stan Gordon ID: 281
Case Type: MajorCase Features: Crash/Retrieval
The Incident at Exeter (Muscarello Case)
September, 3, 1965 - Exeter, New Hampshire, United States
Norman Muscarello, a teenage Navy recruit, was walking down a quiet country highway at night, when suddenly, a huge object loomed above him. Thus began the "Incident at Exeter," a series of sightings officially qualified as "unidentified." The encounters that night took special precedence over other UFO sightings because of the credibility of two Exeter police officers who also saw the UFO, as well as that of the dispatcher and supervising officer who first heard Muscarello's account. View full report
Source: The Portsmouth Herald (Portsmouth, NH), Sept. 2, 2005 ID: 426
Case Type: MajorCase Features: Police, Animal Reaction, Witness Photo
Rex Heflin UFO Photographs
August, 3, 1965 - Santa Ana, California, United States
Rex Heflin, an Orange County highway inspector, was at work in a county vehicle at 12:37 P.M when he saw a hat-shaped (disc with dome) object hovering above the road. He grabbed his Polaroid camera and took three photographs of the metallic-appearing object and a fourth of a black "smoke ring" left behind by the object. View full report
Source: STUDIOVNI ID: 253
Case Type: MajorCase Features: Photo
UFO on Australian Beach (Vaucluse Beach)
July, 19, 1965 - Vaucluse Beach, Australia
Disc-shaped object glowed as it sat on a beach. As witness approached the object, the object lifted off from the ground, quickly climbed in the air, and disappeared. Investigation revealed landing traces and effects on the nearby plant life. View full report
Source: UFO Casebook ID: 27
Case Type: MajorCase Features: Physical Trace, Animal Reaction, Landing, Witness Sketch
Valensole, France Landing (Maurice Masse Case)
July, 1, 1965 - Valensole, Basses Alpes, France
Farmer Maurice Masse was inspecting his field of lavender when he heard a whistling sound, then noticed an egg-shaped object with six thin legs and a central pedestal standing nearby. A classic close encounter case from France. At the same time, he also saw two "small boys," humanoid-looking beings less than four feet tall, dressed in grayish-green one-piece coveralls. View full report
Source: Michael Lindemann / Center For Extraordinary Explorations ID: 140
Case Type: MajorCase Features: Physical Trace, Physiological Effects, Humanoid/Occupant, Landing, Witness Photo
James Flynn Florida Everglades Encounter
March, 12, 1965 - Everglades, Florida, United States
James Flynn was camping when he saw an object with a large cone-shaped structure hovering near the ground; it was some 75 feet wide and 25 feet high. As he approached the object a beam of light struck him in the forehead, knocking him unconscious and temporarily leaving him partially blinded. There were physical traces on trees and vegetation, and animal reactions from Flynn's dogs. View full report
Source: UFO Casebook ID: 23
Case Type: MajorCase Features: Physical Trace, Physiological Effects, Animal Reaction, Landing
Cumberland Spaceman / Solway Firth Photograph
May, 23, 1964 - Burgh Marsh / Solway Firth, United Kingdom
"As an amateur photographer on a day-trip with my family, I took the photograph on Burgh Marsh on May 23, 1964. I took three pictures of my daughter Elizabeth in a similar pose - and was shocked when the middle picture came back from Kodak displaying what looks like a spaceman in the background." View full report
Source: Daily Mail, London / England - December 13, 2002 ID: 385
Case Type: MajorCase Features: Alien Photograph, Humanoid/Occupant, Witness Photo
Socorro / Zamora UFO Incident
April, 24, 1964 - Socorro, New Mexico, United States
The experience of Lonnie Zamora on April 24, 1964 stands as one of the most profound ufo events in the modern history of the phenomena. Lonnie Zamora saw a highly unusual device of unknown origin, what can only be described as a "craft" of some kind, and he reported seeing what he believes were occupants. View full report
Source: Chris Lambright ID: 90
Case Type: MajorCase Features: Humanoid/Occupant, Physical Trace, Landing, Police, Witness Photo, Witness Sketch
Betty and Barney Hill Abduction Case
September, 19, 1961 - Exeter, New Hampshire, United States
The first abduction case to be brought to the publics attention was back in 1961. Betty and Barney Hill reported seeing a UFO and experienced a period of missing time while on a long car journey. Under hypnosis they both seperatly described how they were abducted by aliens and shown around the spacecraft before under going medical examinations. Betty also spoke of the origin of the aliens which were of the zeta reticuli system but at that time it wasn't discovered until 1969. View full report
Source: Loy Lawhon, About.com ID: 315
Case Type: MajorCase Features: Abduction, Polygraph Test, Witness Photo, Witness Sketch, Portholes/Windows, Missing Time
Red Bluff Incident
August, 13, 1960 - Red Bluff, California, United States
California Highway Patrol Officers Charles A. Carson and Stanley Scott were on patrol when they sighted what they thought was an airliner about to crash. When the UFO had descended to about 100 or 200 feet altitude it suddenly reversed direction and climbed to 500 ft. Description: round or oblong surrounded by a glow (color not mentioned) and having definite red lights at each end. They continued to watch the UFO as it performed "unbelievable" aerial feats. (NICAP, 1964) View full report
Source: Loy Lawhon, About.com ID: 107
Case Type: MajorCase Features: E-M Effects, Radar, Police
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
Airliners Paced by three UFOs (The Killian Case)
February, 23, 1959 - Williamsport, Pennsylvania, United States
The sighting of three glowing objects by several airline crews February 24, 1959 is one of the most thoroughly investigated (and, ironically, one of the most controversial) on record. The key witness, Capt. Peter W. Killian, was interviewed by NICAP personnel. A detailed investigation report, including weather data, air navigation maps, etc. , was submitted to NlCAP by the New York City Affiliate. The Akron UFO Research Committee co - operated in the investigation, adding valuable details. View full report
Source: Richard Hall, UFO Evidence, 1964 (NICAP) ID: 1105
Case Type: MajorCase Features: Pilot/Aircrew, Witness Photo
Trindade Island Photographs
January, 16, 1958 - Trindade Island, Brazil
Trindade, a small rocky island in the middle of the South Atlantic Ocean 600 miles off the coast of Bahia, Brazil, was the site of one of the most impressive photographic cases in UFO history. View full report
Source: STUDIOVNI / Jerome Clark (CUFOS) ID: 254
Case Type: MajorCase Features: Photo, Water-Related, Military
The Levelland Sightings (Texas)
November, 2, 1957 - Levelland, Texas, United States
This case is perhaps the most important concentration of vehicle interference events in the United States. On the evening of November 2, 1957, Patrolman A. J. Fowler, officer on duty at Levelland, Texas, received the first of several strangely similar phone calls. The first was from Pedro Saucedo, who, with companion Joe Salaz, had been driving four miles west of Levelland when a torpedo-shaped, brilliantly illuminated object rapidly approached the car... as the object passed close over the car, the truck headlights went out, and the engine died. Officer Fowler reported that a total of 15 phone calls were made to the police station in direct reference to the UFO. View full report
Source: Dr. J. Allen Hynek, ID: 228
Case Type: MajorCase Features: Vehicle Interference
The RB-47 UFO Encounter
July, 17, 1957 - Gulf Coast Area, United States
An Air Force RB-47, equipped with electronic countermeasures (ECM) gear and manned by six officers, was followed by an unidentified object for a distance of well over 700 mi. and for a time period of 1.5 hr., as it flew from Mississippi, through Louisiana and Texas and into Oklahoma. The object was, at various times, seen visually by the cockpit crew as an intensely luminous light, followed by ground-radar and detected on ECM monitoring gear aboard the RB-47. View full report
Source: Loy Lawhon ID: 665
Case Type: MajorCase Features: Pilot/Aircrew, Military, Radar
The Ubatuba, Brazil Fragments
1957 - Ubatuba, Sao Paulo, Brazil
On September 14, 1957, Ibrahim Sued, a columnist for the Rio de Janeiro newspaper O Globo, printed a letter which he had received, concerning a UFO incident. Accompanying the letter were three small pieces of white metal. The writer of the letter described an event in which a "flying disk" exploded over the beach at Ubatuba, in Sao Paulo Province. One of the samples was analyzed and the results showed a 99.99% pure magnesium. View full report
Source: Billy Booth, About.com ID: 829
Case Type: MajorCase Features: Artifact, Crash/Retrieval
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
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
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
