selected ufo cases
Cases with Images or Photographs
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
'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 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
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 Villa Santina Case (two humanoids encountered by Italian artist)
August, 14, 1947 - Villa Santina, Italy
Italian artist R. L. Johannis was out painting when he noticed a 30 ft. disc-shaped object landing nearby. Next, Signor Johannis saw two child-sized beings standing alongside the object. The artist hailed the creatures. It is possible that this was interpreted as a hostile gesture, for one of the beings touched the centre of its belt and projected a thin vapour which caused the artist to fall dazed onto his back. The creatures approached, picked up the artist's easel, then returned to the craft. The object then rose, hovered, and disappeared. View full report
Source: Charles Bowen (ed.), The Humanoids, Flying Saucer Review Special Issue (1966) ID: 751
Case Type: StandardCase Features: Humanoid/Occupant, Landing, Witness Sketch
Disc Zooms Down Snake River Canyon, Idaho
August, 13, 1947 - Snake River Canyon, Idaho, United States
A farmer and his two sons, were at his fishing camp on August 13, 1947. He noticed an object some 300 feet away, 75 feet above the ground. It was edge hopping, following the contour of the ground, was sky blue, about 20 feet in diameter and 10 feet thick, and had pods on the side from which flames were shooting out. It made a swishing sound. View full report
Source: Twin Falls Times News, (Twin Falls, Idaho) August 15th, 1947 ID: 415
Case Type: PressReport
United Airlines Flight 105 pilots witness formation of disc-shaped objects
July, 4, 1947 - Emmet, Idaho, United States
On the evening of July 4th at Boise, Idaho, Captain Smith was walking up the ramp to board his plane, flight 105, for a trip to Seattle when someone mentioned the massive wave of saucers taking place all day over the northwest. Captain Smith joked: "I'll believe in those discs when I see them." Shortly after takeoff five disc-like objects, one larger than the rest, approached Captain Smith's DC-3 head on. View full report
Source: James McDonald, Statement to US Congressional Hearings/UFO Symposium, 1968 ID: 723
Case Type: StandardCase Features: Interaction/Reaction, Pilot/Aircrew, Witness Photo, Multiple UFOs
Roswell UFO Incident (Crash and Recovery)
July, 3, 1947 - Roswell, New Mexico, United States
In early July 1947 an incident occurred in the desert just outside of Roswell, NM. Many people have heard of the Roswell UFO crash, but very few people know the details of the incident. The following account of the 1947 UFO incident was taken from public records, from information provided by the International UFO Museum and from the press release for UFO Encounter 1997. View full report
Source: Roswell Online ID: 1134
Case Type: MajorCase Features: Crash/Retrieval, Humanoid/Occupant, Military, Witness Sketch, Witness Photo
The 1947 Kenneth Arnold UFO Sighting
June, 24, 1947 - Near Mt. Rainier, Washington, United States
The modern phenomena of UFOs and “flying saucers” began in Washington state on June 24, 1947, when Kenneth Arnold spotted nine mysterious, high-speed objects “flying like a saucer would” along the crest of the Cascade Range near Mount Rainier. His report made international headlines and triggered hundreds of similar accounts of “flying saucers” locally and across the nation. View full report
Source: Loy Lawhon, About.com ID: 511
Case Type: MajorCase Features: Pilot/Aircrew, Witness Sketch, Witness Photo, Multiple UFOs
The 'Alien Autopsy' Film (Socorro, NM 1947 UFO Crash)
1947 - Socorro, New Mexico, United States
In 1995 London based businessman Ray Santilli caused what has been arguably the biggest controversy in the entire history of UFO research when he launched his 'Alien Autopsy' film across the front pages of magazines and via the TV screen in over 20 different countries. View full report
Source: Michael Hesemann, Nexus Magazine, 1996 ID: 809
Case Type: MajorCase Features: Alien Photograph, Crash/Retrieval, Humanoid/Occupant, Physical Trace
New Mexico UFO Crash Encounter In 1945
August, 16, 1945 - San Antonio, New Mexico, United States
Reme Baca and Jose Padilla were young boys living in San Antonio, New Mexico in August 1945 when, they say, they literally stumbled across the remains of what they believe to have been an alien spacecraft. Their personal account of the case displays many of the key ingredients of crashed UFO lore. View full report
Source: Ben Moffett, The Mountain Mail, Socorro NM, Nov. 2, 2003 ID: 852
Case Type: StandardCase Features: Crash/Retrieval, Humanoid/Occupant, Children, Witness Photo
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
Photo of UFO over busy street in China, 1942
1942 - Tiensten, China
Young Japanese student Masujiro Kiryu, going through his fathers scrapbook of photographs fron the China Campaign, just before World War II, discovered a strange cone-shaped object in the sky above a Tsientsien Street. A number of people in the street are looking up and two are pointing up at the object. View full report
Source: Wendelle Stevens, reposted on UFOArtwork.com ID: 259
Case Type: StandardCase Features: Photo
UFO Crash and Retrieval in Missouri, 1941
April, 1941 - Cape Girardeau, Missouri, United States
One of the most mysterious stories of a crashed UFO with alien bodies preceded the well know Roswell events by some six years. Reverend William Huffman was summoned to pray over alien crash victims outside of Cape Girardeau, Missouri in the spring of 1941. He was shown three victims, not human as expected, but small alien bodies with large eyes, hardly a mouth or ears, and hairless. View full report
Source: Excerpt from UFO Casebook (BJ Booth) ID: 858
Case Type: MajorCase Features: Crash/Retrieval, Humanoid/Occupant, Clergy, Witness Photo, Witness Sketch
Alien captured on film in 1930's Alaska
1930 - Alaska, United States
The picture was taken in the early 1930s by the sender's grandfather, who lived in Alaska. The entitiy was first seen when the grandfather was on his way to a lake. He chased the entity until he got close enough to take this one picture. It was some four months before the photograph was developed, being in in a remote, sparsely populated area. The sender received the picture from his grandfather only last week. His grandfather died the day after giving him the photo, and relating his story. View full report
Source: UFOCasebook.com (B.J. Booth, editor) ID: 1109
Case Type: RawReport Features: Alien Photograph, Humanoid/Occupant
Formation of round UFOs maneuver near ship in 1904
February, 28, 1904 - Pacific Ocean off San Francisco, California, United States
Three members of the crew of the USS Supply, at 6:10 a.m. local time, sighted an echelon formation of three objects which appeared near the horizon below clouds, moving directly toward the ship. As they approached, the UFOs began soaring, rose above the cloud layer, and were observed climbing into space, still in echelon. The lead object was egg-shaped and about the size of six suns, and the other two were smaller and round. View full report
Source: NICAP / Richard Hall (1964) citing "Monthly Weather Review" (1904) ID: 640
Case Type: SummaryReport Features: Multiple UFOs, Water-Related
Luminous UFO seen from Windsor Castle in 1783
August, 18, 1783 - Windsor Castle, England, United Kingdom
This illustration depicts a sighting that occurred at 9.45pm on the evening of August 18, 1783 when four witnesses on the terrace of Windsor Castle observed a luminous object in the skies of the Home Counties of England: "An oblong cloud moving more or less parallel to the horizon. Under this cloud could be seen a luminous object which soon became spherical, brilliantly lit..." View full report
Source: UFOs at Close Sight ID: 489
Case Type: SummaryReport
UFOs over Hamburg, Germany in 1697
November, 4, 1697 - Hamburg, Germany
There was a UFO sighting over Hamburg, Germany on November 4, 1697, depicted in this artwork. The objects were described as being "two glowing wheels". View full report
Source: UFOs at Close Sight / others ID: 488
Case Type: SummaryReport
UFO in 1034 depicted in 15th c. book, The Nuremberg Chronicle
1034 - Europe,
A rare typeset book from 1493 contains what may be the earliest pictorial representation of a UFO. The book Liber Chronicarum, describes a strange fiery sphere, seen in 1034, soaring through the sky in a straight course from south to east and then veering toward the setting sun. View full report
Source: The Bible UFO Connection ID: 497
Case Type: SummaryReport
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
UFO sighting over Basel, Switzerland in 1566
August, 7, - Basel, Switzerland
A 16th century woodcutting depicts this scene in which dark spheres were witnessed hovering over the town of Basel, Switzerland in 1566. The spheres appeared at sunrise, 'Many became red and fiery, ending by being consumed and vanishing', wrote Samuel Coccius in the local newspaper on this date. View full report
Source: 16th century woodcutting and newspaper (credit: UFOs at Close Sight) ID: 485
Case Type: StandardCase Features: Multiple UFOs
UFO 'battle' over Nuremberg, Germany in 1561
April, 4, - Nuremberg, Germany
At sunrise on the 14th April 1561, the citizens of Nuremberg beheld "A very frightful spectacle." The sky appeared to fill with cylindrical objects from which red, black, orange and blue white disks and globes emerged. Crosses and tubes resembling cannon barrels also appeared whereupon the objects promptly "began to fight one another." This event is depicted in a famous 16th century woodcut by Hans Glaser. View full report
Source: Various sources ID: 486
Case Type: StandardCase Features: Multiple UFOs
Edmund Halley, discoverer of Halley's Comet, sees UFO in 1676
March, - United Kingdom
Edmund Halley, the astronomer who discovered Haley's comet, could recall two accounts involving unidentified crafts. His first experience was in March of 1676, when he saw a, as he said, "Vast body apparently bigger than the moon." View full report
Source: The Bible UFO Connection ID: 492
Case Type: SummaryReport Features: Famous Person, Astronomer, Scientist/Engineer, Witness Photo
329 BC: Alexander the Great records two great 'flying shields'
329 BC - Central Asia,
Alexander the Great records two great silver shields, spitting fire around the rims in the sky that dived repeatedly at his army as they were attempting a river crossing. The action so panicked his elephants, horses, and men they had to abandon the river crossing until the following day. View full report
Source: Bruno Mancusi, UFO Updates mailing list, Apr. 18, 2003 ID: 491
Case Type: StandardCase Features: Famous Person, Witness Photo
