 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'. |
Objects
Sighted Over "Control Zone"
October 20, 1950
Oak Ridge, TN
October 20, 1950
Oak Ridge, TN
| Fran Ridge: October 20, 1950; Oak Ridge, Tennessee 4:55 PM. Larry Riordan, the Superintendent of Security for the X-10 control zone, while driving to a residential area saw an object which he thought at first was a balloon which had lost its “basket.” It was generally round, appeared to “come together at the bottom in wrinkles, rather indistinct, and something was hanging below.” It appeared to be 8 to 10 feet long and lead or gunmetal colored. It didn’t seem to be moving but, since he was traveling and only saw it for a number of seconds, he couldn’t be sure. He was sure it wasn’t a weather balloon, although he thought it might have been a gas bag balloon launched by the nearby University of Tennessee Agricultural Research Farm.. On the same day at 3:27 PM the radar unit at the Knoxville airport detected radar targets near the area of Mr. Riordan’s sighting and scrambled a fighter plane. The pilot searched the area for about an hour and a half, which included the time of Mr. Riordan’s sighting, and found nothing. Brad Sparks: The Riordan sighting might be a balloon, but we won't know until AF data can fill in more details. Detailed reports and documents Objects Sighted Over Control Zone (Greenwood & Fawcett, Clear Intent) FBI Document dated 25 October 1950, Page 1 of 3 FBI Document dated 25 October 1950, Page 2 of 3 FBI Document dated 25 October 1950, Page 3 of 3 The Oak Ridge Page |