![]() Case Directory Category 1, Distant Encounters Preliminary Rating: 5 |
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| A Hynek
Classification of Distant Encounter is usually
an incident involving an object more than 500
feet from the witness. At night it is
classified as a "nocturnal light" (NL) and
during the day as a "daylight disc" (DD). The
size of the object or the viewing conditions
may render the object in greater detail but
yet not qualify the sighting as a Close
Encounter which is an object within
500'. |
| Dan Wilson: July 6, 1966; Fairpoint, South Dakota (BB)
At 8:45 p.m. MST, observers including Airman
William D. Offord saw a red object just above the
horizon to the west. This object disappeared below the
horizon. The observers moved to another position where
they saw the red object again. Over the next hour and
a half five distinct objects the apparent size of a
quarter, a nickel and three objects the size of a dime
held at arm's length were observed. The first sighting
was called into the Golf One Launch Control Facility
of the Minuteman missile complex, Ellsworth AFB, South
Dakota. Here Airmen Calenberg, Langerud and
Delapp, spotted the objects to the west of Golf One.
The quarter size object led by nickel size while dime
sizes skittered erratically around the horizon and
mountain tops in distance and returned to the quarter
size and nickel size objects which stayed on a fairly
stable slow moving course ENE. The objects were viewed
from two separate locations one to the west of the
objects and one to the east. The quarter size object
resembled an oblong saucer emitting pulsating flashes
and rays of white and green light. The nickel size
resembled a steady red light. The dime sizes darted
erratically away from the quarter size and returned.
Air Force Helicopter 481 was dispatched from Ellsworth
AFB with the Base Commander and a photographer
onboard.
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