presents
  The 1959 UFO Chronology

Operations & Training; UFOs Serious Business
Click here for document, Courtesy of CUFON
 

A lot of the incidents do not yet have active links to reports. Blue Book microfilms are only processed to mid-1952, so it will be some time before we can accomplish that goal. However, this is a comprehensive list for 1959 and will also suffice as a good work and checklist for our team. We wish to thank, in particular, Rebecca Wise (Project Blue Book Archive), Dan Wilson (archive researcher), and Brad Sparks (Comprehensive Catalog of Project Blue Book Unknowns). Right below this introduction are the UFOs: A History files, created by Loren Gross.


Francis Ridge

Jan. 1, 1959; Newport Beach, California
County Harbor Department guards watched UFO split in four parts; two rose vertically at high speed, one headed SE, one remained stationary. [NICAP UFOE, XII]

Jan. 4, 1959; Taft, California (BBU) 
11:30 p.m. PST. Pilots of three airliners, TWA 52, TWA 87, and Resort 910, observed an oval object the size of a basketball at 50 to 100 yards that appeared as a ball of fire with a sliver tail and a longer trail coming from underneath. The object was tracking SW to NE and made a sharp 90 degree turn to the right and faded from view. The length of observation was 4-5 seconds. (Project 1947, Dan Wilson, BB files)

Jan. 8, 1959; Nr. Walworth, Wisconsin
Former control tower operator and flight controller saw UFO descend slowly, then speed away like meteor. [NICAP UFOE, V]

Jan. 13, 1959; Pymatunlng Lake, Greenville, Penna.
UFO hovered over truck causing electrical failure. (Item 75, 1960 NICAP report)

Jan. 13, 1959; Bygholm, Denmark
Car motor failed as UFO passed over car. Headlights and spotlight worked. (Item 76, 1960 NICAP report)

Jan. 23, 1959; Panama
Bright silver object arced across sky, tracked by U.S. radar. [NICAP UFOE, VIII]

3:00 a.m. Reddish light sped back and forth across course of Pan American Airways plane, then disappeared at high speed in vertical climb. [NICAP UFOE, V]

Feb. 9, 1959; Imperial Beach, California
Bright UFO with halo filmed. [NICAP UFOE, VIII]

Feb. 16, 1959; Benghazi, Libya (BBU)
9:30 p.m. British military man saw a silvery blue to reddish to dark round object with dome, sharply outlined, with vents of green light, varying brightness, varying speed from hovering to very fast, suddenly disappeared. 15 mins (CUFOS re-eval.; Jan Aldrich)

Feb. 24, 1959; 13 miles SW of Williamsport, Penna. (BBU)
8:20-9 p.m. American Airlines Flight 139 pilot Capt. Peter W. Killian and First Officer James Dee, on a DC-6B airliner flying from Newark to Detroit, saw 3 lights changing relative position, separation and color (yellow-orange to brilliant blue-white) at the 9 o'clock position to the SSW at 30° elevation. (NICAP UFOE, V, IX, Willy Smith pp. 85-96) [Click link above for details and over 80 pages of documents]

Feb. 24, 1959; Victorville, Calif. (BBU)
10:00-10:15 p.m. Intense white light lit up bedroom, dogs barked as if terrified, witness sighted to the W at about 20° elevation a biconvex dull red object about 25 ft wide with a blunt tear-drop profile approaching rapidly within 10 secs lowering height to about 8-10 ft passing about 80 ft away N of house and veering slightly to NE disappearing from behind; 5 mins later reappeared to W and made a similar pass and at similar intervals 3 more W-NE passes. Object made high-pitched transformer hum, radio static noted. (Hynek UFO Rpt pp. 167-170)

Feb. 25, 1959; Hobbs, New Mexico
Signals on car radio, steady succession of two dots and a dash as UFO passed over. (Item 77, 1960 NICAP report)

Feb. 26, 1959; London, England
Air Traffic Controllers, others saw a bright yellow disc which hovered for 20 minutes above airport, then climbed away at high speed. [NICAP UFOE, X]

March 10, 1959; Grand Bahama Island, West Indies (BBU)
4:00-4:25 a.m. (EST).  USAF FPS-8 missile tracking radar at Grand Bahama Auxiliary AFB picked up maneuvering object 50-70 miles to SSE on course of 145° which made 2 wide circles at 200-300 knots then a figure-8.  Object went on an intercept course of 60° to follow a subsonic [600 mph] Snark intercontinental cruise missile launched from Patrick AFB, Florida, along the Atlantic Missile Range, with missile passing object at about 4:18 a.m.  Both missile and UFO detected on radar scope simultaneously.  Missile disappeared to SSE while object gradually disappeared at 60° [azimuth? ENE (?)].  All military and civilian agencies were checked for aircraft and none were in the area.  (Sparks;  BB files;  McDonald list) 5? witnesses

March 12, 1959; Duluth-Finland, Minn. (BBU)
(McDonald list)

March 13, 1959; Duluth, Minn. (BBU)
6:20 p.m. (CST). Military aircraft crew saw an object with orange, red, white, green lights, the red lights rotating on the bottom.  Three hundred eighteen pages of documents!!! And as with the Edwards case in 1964, "hot bird" means that the F-102 fighter was loaded with a nuclear weapon of some type. (Project 1947; McDonald list, Dan Wilson) [Click on link for more details and docs].

March 14, 1959;. Ellsworth AFB, South Dakota (BBU)
(McDonald list)

March 18, 1959; Denville, New Jersey
8:50 pm. Jesse Wilson claims he took photos of the Moon through a telescope and captured a series of strange objects. (Lee Munsick, NICAP)

March 22, 1959. Ann Arbor, Mich. (BBU)
(McDonald list)

March 23, 1959; Bismark, ND (BBU)
USAF radar-visual of 4 objects, photo of 7 objects ?? (CUFOS?)

March 25, 1959; Northern Montana (BBU)
At around 8:00 p.m. local time, a B-52 jet bomber flying south on a HEADSTART II type mission became aware that an object was following the aircraft. The tail gunner had picked up the object on his scope. The object was also detected by the Electronics Warfare Officer (EWO) and two radar frequencies were determined as being utilized by the UFO. The UFO was maintained on MB-9 scope for approximately one hour at ranges of 8,000 to 15,000 yards. A ground GCI station was notified upon initial contact with the object and an F-89 Interceptor was launched at the time the object penetrated the Northern ADIZ. (Click on link above for details, updates and docs). (McDonald list, Dan Wilson)   

March 26 or 27, 1959; Corsica, Penna. (BBU 6317)
12:45 p.m. T. E. Clark saw a dark red, barrel-shaped object, 20 ft long, 6-7 ft high, descend below some trees. (Berliner)
http://www.nicap.org/reports2/1959.03.26.Corsica.PA.pdf



April 13, 1959; Antigo & Madison, Wisc. (BBU)
At 7:20 p.m. local time, 25-30 red and green lights above a bright yellow light were observed visually and were tracked on a  AN/FPS-20 Radar. The lights moved in an erratic manner and were highly maneuverable, seemingly picking up to very high speeds. A fighter plane of the 327th Fighter Group was scrambled and went to 46,000 feet. When the pilot returned to base the objects were still in the area. The length of the observation was around two hours. (McDonald list, Dan Wilson)

April 14, 1959; Tokyo-Mitaka, Japan (BBU)
7:32:24.53 p.m. (Japan time UTC+9). SAO satellite tracking photos 6+ frames of No. SC-5-498 time exposures of 9.6-11.8 secs showed 2+ UFOs during tracking of Vanguard 2 satellite. One object flashed every 0.36 sec, with 0.25 sec on, 0.11 sec off cycle. Wavy motion from elevation 21°24’09.36” rising to 22°09’51.32” in first 9.61 secs, falling to 18°20’51.29” then rising to 18°24’37.86”. Azimuth shifted from 237°51’14.75” (roughly WSW) to 248°33’34.65”. Not in BB files though reported to BB. 40+ sces (Sparks; Vallee computer proposal; Robt. Klinn)

May 2, 1959; Pease AFB, New Hampshire (BBU)
At 8:23 p.m. EDT, five tracks appeared on radar scopes at speeds from 200- 400 knots at altitudes of 7,000 to 18,000 feet. Immediately thereafter, more tracks appeared. A total of 18 tracks were involved. Some targets approach the coast then reversed course and headed outbound. At least 3 different radars were tracking the objects simultaneously, at sites P-10, P-13 and Texas Tower 11. Ten additional aircraft were brought up to 5 minute alert, 4 at Stewart AFB, 2 at Westover AFB, and 4 at Otis AFB. Eventually all available aircraft were scrambled, including some from adjacent sectors. Air Defense Artillery stated that their radar also picked up 6 of these targets through the area. There was no apparent reason for the unknown tracks. All equipment was functioning normally. Everything possible was accomplished to check and verify inputs. (Dan Wilson) 
(McDonald list, Dan Wilson)

May 13, 1959; Offutt AFB, Omaha, Nebraska (BBU)
(McDonald list)

May 14, 1959; Philadelphia, Penna.(BBU)
(McDonald list)

May 14, 1959; Des Moines, Iowa
UFO hovered, sped away. [NICAP UFOE, XII]

May 18, 1959; Greenbush, Kansas (BBU)
(McDonald list)

May 21, 1959; 8 miles E of Rapid City, South Dakota (BBU)
(McDonald list)

 
June 3, 1959; Genoa, Italy (BBU)
(McDonald list)

June 3, 1959; Nr. Bloomington, Indiana
Torpedo-shaped UFO hovered, dove out of sight. [NICAP UFOE, XII]

June 9, 1959; Manassas-Roanoke, Virginia (BBU)
At 1:05 p.m. EDT, a number of unknown objects traveling abreast were tracked on an FPS-6 radar of the 649th Radar Squadron (SAGE). The objects were detected at 62,200 feet heading NE at 200 knots. The objects moved out of radar range and faded. The length of observation was 15 minutes. Apparently same objects were picked up NE of Roanoke by adjacent radar sight. (McDonald list, Brad Sparks, Dan Wilson)

June 11, 1959; Henderson, Nevada
Security officers observed a formation of four disc-like objects. [NICAP UFOE, VII]

July 11, 1959. N. Pacific, 1000 mi E of Hawaii (BBU)
 6:02 a.m. (1302Z / GMT / UT). Pan Am Flight C947 Boeing DC7C Stratocruiser pilot Capt. George Wilson, copilot Richard Lorenzen, and Flt Engr (at 28°25’N, 144°30W) at 20,000 ft saw in the SW, slightly higher than flight level possibly by 1,000 ft, a large bright white light heading towards them, followed by 4 smaller lights on the left, moving constantly at high speed made 180° path change (reversed course?) then 90° right turn, disappeared in the S. Other sightings by other Pan Am Flight C942, Slick Airways Flight 719/11, Canadian Pacific, Empress Flight 323-11, United Airlines Flight 21 (DC-6B) flight crews. Possible IFO meteor fireball except for unexplained 90° turn. (Sparks; Project 1947; McDonald list; Menzel 1963; BB files)  10-15 secs; 10 + witnesses.

July 14, 1959; New Delhi, Indiana (BBU)
(Sparks, McDonald)

June 16, 1959; SE of Meridian, Mississippi (BBU)
(McDonald list)

June 18, 1959; Pacific bet. Hawaii and Calif. (BBU)
(McDonald list)

June 18, 1959; Forest Park, Illinois (BBU)
(McDonald list)

June 18, 1959; Stephenson-Sault Ste. Marie, Mich. (BBU)
(McDonald list)

June 18, 1959; Enon, Ohio. (BBU)
(McDonald list)

June 18, 1959; Lyons, Colo. (BBU)
(McDonald list)

June 18, 1959; Edmonton, Alberta, Canada (BBU 6400)
9:30 p.m. A. Cavelli and R. Blessin, using 7x binoculars, saw a brown, cigar-shaped object come from below the horizon (close to the witnesses) ascending to 40°-50° above the horizon. (Berliner)

June 22, 1959; South China Sea S of Macao, China (BBU)
At 6:46 a.m. while on an RB-66 mission the pilot and gunner saw 4 pairs of unidentified objects. The objects were round and dark in color and were at an estimated altitude of 200 to 500 feet. The four pairs were spaced over an area of about 50 miles parallel to the RB-66 course. Separation of the objects in each pair was approximately 200-300 yards. Their size was estimated at 25-200 feet in diameter. The objects appeared to be moving on a course of 215 degrees at 15 knots. The RB-66 passed directly over the objects at 34,000 feet.(Dan Wilson) [See docs and major updates by clicking link above].

June 22, 1959; Balta, Argentina
City lights failed during UFO incident. (Item 78, 1960 NICAP report)

June 25, 1959; S of Taegu, Korea (BBU)
(McDonald list)

July 25, 1959. Irondequoit, New York (BBU 6446)
1 p.m. Technical illustrator W. D. Neva saw a thin, crescent moon-shaped object, with a small white dome in the center, fly at tremendous speed. (Sparks; Berliner)

June 26, 1959; Boianai Mission, Papua New Guinea (BBU)
6:45-7:20, 8:28-9:10, 9:20-9:30, 9:46-10:10, 10:30-10:50 p.m. Father William Gill plus 38 others. Platform shaped object with "men" on top appeared in the sky above Venus (which was to the W at 297° azimuth, 32° elevation initially, but set before 9:06 p.m. below the mountains), with electric blue spotlight, about 500 ft away at 300-400 ft height (object shined light on broken cloud cover at 2,000 ft altitude known from nearby mountains). Men and spotlight disappear at 7:20 and object disappears into clouds, reappears at 8:28 without "men" or spotlight but joined by 2rd, 3rd and 4th objects at 8:29, 8:35 and 8:35-50, coming and going through clouds. Main "mother ship" "large, clear, stationary," gives red light and disappears overhead into cloud at 9:10, reappears at 9:20, moves across sea to Giwa [to the NE?] appearing white-red-blue disappears at 9:30. Overhead objects reappears 9:46, hovering, disappears behind cloud 10:10, reappears in gap between clouds 10:30, gone at 10:50. [Further sightings June 27 and 28, 1959]. (Sparks; Hynek UFO Rpt pp. 216-223, etc.)

June 27, 1959; Dunville, Virginia (BBU)
(McDonald list)

June 27, 1959; Boianai Mission, Papua New Guinea (BBU)
6:02-6:30 p.m. Object returned from previous night with 2 others, one to the W and one overhead. Father William Gill and another waved their arms and "men" on the main object waved back; to the waving of a torch the object moved back-and-forth laterally. [Other sightings June 26 and 28, 1959.] (Sparks; Hynek UFO Rpt pp. 216-223, etc.) 28 mins [See 26 June]

June 28, 1959; Boianai Mission, Papua New Guinea (BBU)
6:45-11 p.m. Father William Gill [and others?] saw up to 8 lights at varying heights. [Prior sightings June 26 and 27, 1959.] (Sparks; Hynek UFO Rpt pp. 216-223, etc.) 4 hr 15 min [See 26, 27 June]

June 30, 1959; Patuxent River NAS, Maryland (BBU 6409)
8:23 p.m. USN Cdr. D. Connolly at the Naval Air Station, saw a metallic gold, oblate-shaped object, major/minor axis ratio 9:1, with sharp edges, fly straight and level. (Berliner)

July 3, 1959; Needles, Calif. (BBU)
7:34 p.m. (PST). Pilot, William Gebenini, Director of Washington State Aeronautics Commission, and the copilot, of Piper Commanche aircraft, flying at 10,500 feet at 140 mph, apparently heading N to Las Vegas, Nevada, sighted 4 kite-shaped objects, first looking like an eagle, moving back and forth sideways but stayed in the same relative position at about their own altitude of 10,500 ft [thus about 1.8° above geometric earth horizon]. Pilot turned towards objects at 270° Mag [285° True] but could not close the distance and lost objects in darkness. Clear sky with 45 miles visibility. Pilot suggested possibility rays of setting sun had been seen through dust particles, but sky was clear and mirages must occur within about 0.6° of earth horizon whereas objects were seen at about 1.8° above earth horizon. Sun had set at aircraft’s 10,500 ft altitude at about 7:10 p.m. PST depending on exactly where the Piper Commanche was located at that time (within 60 mi of 7:34 p.m. location). Sun was about 3° to 5° below geometric earth horizon at 303° to 305° True azimuth at ground level during 10-minute sighting (about 1° to 3° below visible horizon to the aircraft at 10,500 ft) and could not possibly have been visible. Any hypothetical “dust” particles would have had to be at least 80,000 ft in altitude to be illuminated by the sun so far below the earth’s limb, thus in the stratosphere impossibly high for dust to reach. Only violent volcanic eruptions and large surface-burst or low altitude nuclear explosions could loft dust that high and none had occurred. (Sparks; BB files; Basterfield; McDonald list)

July 8, 1959; Columbus, Indiana
Family in car chased three pulsating object seen moving slowly at low altitude in V-formation. (Two WTTV employees saw similar formation few minutes earlier, 25-30 miles away.)   [NICAP UFOE, II]

July 9, 1959; Bahamas (BBU)
At 8.10 pm EST at [21:13N; 68:24W] a large rocket passed overhead, course 120 degrees T.  First sighted at 10 degrees’ elevation, and 300 degrees azimuth, it had a tail and lights. After passing overhead the lights and trail disappeared. An observer on the ship SS Caltex Auckland [at 26:05N; 73:05W] at 8.10 pm sighted a rocket like body with three lights, moving in an easterly direction. Duration 10 minutes.  Another ship, the M/S Allobrogio [at 26:49N; 73:39W] at 8.10 pm, a Trans-Canada pilot, Capt F.  F. Beckett and FO J. Bosma, [at 18:24N; 77:06W] reported a light at 25-30 degrees’ elevation, at azimuth 005 degrees. It appeared as a cigar shaped light. At 8.09 pm it changed direction to SE. At 8.12pm it changed to NE. Last seen at 8.15pm at 25-30 degrees elevation, azimuth 030-040 degrees.(Basterfield, Fold3; McDonald list; Molczan; Printy; Sparks.)



July 11, 1959; N Pacific, 800 n.mi. from Hawaii (BBU)
6:02 a.m. Pan Am Boeing Stratocruiser pilot and crew saw a big bright light followed by 3-4 smaller lights. (NICAP UFOE, X; Project 1947; McDonald list)

July 12,1959; Nr. Ridgecrest, California
Electronics mechanic at China Lake U. S. Naval Ordnance Test Station saw three disc-like UFOs which alternately hovered and moved at high speeds over desert to the Southwest. [NICAP UFOE, IV]

July 13,1959; Blenheim, N. Z.
Domed disc descended, hovered. (NICAP UFOE, XIV)

July 14, 1959; New Delhi, India (BBU)
(McDonald list)

July 14,  1959--Pampulha, Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais State
Luminous object followed FAB (Brazilian Air Force) B-26, hovered near airport.   [NICAP UFOE, X]

July 25, 1959; Irondequoit, New York (BBU 6446)
1 p.m. Technical illustrator W. D. Neva saw a thin, crescent moon-shaped object, with a small white dome in the center, fly at tremendous speed. (Berliner)

July 28, 1959; Corpus Christi, Texas (BBU)
In a letter which Dr. J. A. Hynek wrote to Major R. Friend, dated 28 June 1960, there is mention of a UFO film. The film is said to have shown ‘very fine color movies of Venus in the daytime…’ The letter continues, ‘The image is real, as it appears on frame after frame…’ A handwritten note says ‘Benn case.’ [This is the Ray Stanford film]  (Basterfield, Fold3; McDonald list; Sparks.) (McDonald list)

July 28, 1959; Atlantic, off coast of Florida (BBU)
11.13 p.m. EST. A 19-year-old male was onboard USS Robinson, DD-562, standing the 2000 to 2400 watch. The ship was sailing at 7 kts on course 334 degrees. A soundless object was observed flying on course 250 degrees, estimated height 25,000 feet with its initial elevation being 30 degrees. The object crossed the ship’s stern. It had emerged from a cloud, with a bright orange glow surrounding a white light. This glow changed color to white/gray and expanded in size. Duration 2.5 minutes. The sky was pitch black. The witness observed the object using both naked eye and binoculars. Lost at 85 degrees’ elevation, azimuth 70 degrees. Also, seen by two others onboard. (Basterfield, Fold3; McDonald list; Sparks.)

Aug. 2, 1959; Bolling AFB, Washington, DC (BBU)
At 00:28 local EST local (0528Z).  One white light, soundlessly travelled rapidly from NE to SW.  It blinked irregularly and then instantly stopped. It then moved rapidly in circles, and finally faded in the SW. The duration was seven minutes and seen by six observers. It was a clear starlit night, calm at the surface. The observers stated the light was not an aircraft. There were no unusual radar targets in the area and tower operators did not see the object. (Basterfield, Fold3; McDonald list; Sparks.)

Aug. 3, 1959; Silver Springs, Maryland
(McDonald list)

Aug. 10, 1959; Goose AFB, Labrador, Canada (BBU 6462)
1:28 a.m. RCAF pilot Flt. Lt. M. S. Mowat, on ground, saw a large star-like light cross 53° of sky. (Berliner)

Aug. 13, 1959; Freeport, Texas
Car motor and headlights failed as UFO crossed road ahead at low altitude. (Item 79, 1960 NICAP report)

Aug. 13, 1959; Bet. Roswell and Corona, New Mexico (BBU)
Jack H. Goldsberry, former USN PBY, flying Cessna 170 from Hobbs to Albuquerque, N.M., at 8,000 feet, noticed halfway between Roswell and Corona, that his Magnesyn electric compass suddenly moved around a slow 360° rotation in about 4-5 secs, and his other standard magnetic compass was spinning wildly. About this time, he saw 3 small gray slightly fuzzy elliptical objects in close echelon formation passing in front from left to right and around his plane at a distance about 450 to 600 ft and a speed of about 200 mph. Magnesyn compass followed the objects' position as they circled the plane, and after one full circle they disappeared to the rear, then both compasses settled back to normal. CØ controller at Albuquerque canceled his flight plan and ordered him to land at Kirtland AFB, where he was interrogated by a USAF major. (NARCAP-NICAP-McDonald; BB fıles??)

Aug. 14, 1959; NE of Hawaii (BBU)
7:53 p.m. (AHDT). Military pilot saw a very bright white light change color to red as it moved into [?] the sunlight. (Project 1947)

Aug. 16, 1959; Macon & Forsyth, Ga. (BBU)
6.10 p.m. local time (2310Z). Three anonymous individuals telephoned a radio station in Macon. One female said she saw a ‘rocket’ which fluttered like a falling leaf, traveling at jet-like speed which emitted spurts of fire. One male described a ‘rocket’ with fire, traveling horizontally and emitting a ‘roar.’ A second man described a falling ‘rocket.’ At around 7p.m., a Forsyth police officer described seeing a round object, with a tip at the bottom. It was colored orange on the bottom and silver on the top. It was seen at 30 degrees elevation. It soundlessly disappeared behind clouds. (Basterfield, Fold3; McDonald list; Sparks.) (McDonald list)

Aug. 19, 1959. 80 miles E of Otis AFB, Mass. [or E of Wash. DC?] (BBU)
3:37, 3:42, 3:44, 3:45, 3:46, 3:52, 3:57 p.m. (EST). 691st Airborne Early Warning & Control Sq RC121 at 6,000 ft heading 55° 185 knots. Detected single high speed targets 3,000 to 7,800 mph on APS-20 S-band radar except 2 that were in trail. Blips on various headings of 360°, 180°, 290°, and final 2 were together in trail on 60° heading but made 60° turn to 360° (0°). BB conclusion of “Possible IFF interference” is nonsense, as IFF cannot possibly have “interference” as if it was merely a radar. IFF transponders send signals on one frequency that trigger a timed and coded message signal in response at a different frequency. (Sparks; McDonald list; Vallée Challenge to Science; BB files) 1 min each. radar IFF

Aug. 19, 1959; 80 miles E of U.S. [?] (BBU)
(McDonald list)

Aug. 19, 1959; Elburn, Illinois (BBU)
9:30 p.m. (CDT). Airline pilot saw a string of 3-4 white lights seemingly part of one object. (Project 1947)

August 24, 1959; Nr. Emmitsburg, Maryland
Planet-like UFO hovered, took off straight up. [NICAP UFOE, XII]

Aug. 28, 1959; Charlotte Island, Canada (BBU)
(McDonald list)

Sept., 1959; Westover AFB, Mass.
The witnesses were working in a B-52 on the flight line when a radar man called them in to see seven UFOs being tracked. One comment in the report seems to indicate a problem with the story. The primary witness said the objects were 150 miles away and in the center of the (radar) screen. This indicates long range radar onboard and targets relatively close to the radar antenna. It is the range of the objects that is in serious question with a B-52's onboard radar. (Jan Aldrich, Fran Ridge)

Sept. 5 1959; Naha Air Base, Okinawa (BBU)
5:40 AM, 1440 zulu. Red, flare-like objects with tail similar to short contrail. Described on the Project Record Card as "size of nickel at arm's length. Also mentions "white in color, two rows of three abreast, changing to a 'v' of five, then found disappearing one at a time until only one remained." Initial observation 10 degrees elevation with disapearance at 15 degrees elevation. 11 witnesses, 20 secs. 6 objects. S-N. (McDonald list)

Sept. 7, 1959; Wallingford, Kentucky (BBU)
Walter Ogden. 15-ft burned mark left by object on takeoff. (McDonald list; Loren Gross 1959 SUPP) Bluish disc-like UFO low over ground, observed by mail carrier, rose suddenly and sped away; left stained ring on ground. [NICAP UFOE, XII]

Sept. 10, 1959; Camp Kinser, Okinawa (BBU)
8.10 p.m. local time (1110Z).  2Lt J Bowles; A/g Sgt R G Savell; A/g Cpl R Johnson; A/g Sgt H Glisson and A/g Gunnery Sgt Perry; over a period of 50 minutes, reported seeing a series of 6-8, star-like, soundless, white/yellow lights in the sky. Each object was seen for 35-40 seconds only and moved at jet-like speeds. It was a moonlit night with scattered low clouds. Surface wind was 4-6 kts from 090 degrees. The objects were initially sighted at 065 degrees azimuth. Upon disappearance their azimuth was 245 degrees true. The lights were moving horizontally in a straight line. They were said to be oscillating, rolling and darting. The objects disappeared from view rapidly ascending. (Basterfield, Fold3; McDonald list; Sparks.) (McDonald list)

Sept. 13, 1959; Gills Rock, Wisc. (BBU 6506)
1:05 a.m. R. H. Daubner saw a round yellow light, with 8 blue lights within it, and 5 larger red lights, fly very fast vertically while making a pulsating jet noise. (Berliner)

Sept. 13, 1959; Bunker Hill AFB, Indiana (BBU 6507)
4 p.m. At least two control tower operators and the pilot of a Mooney private airplane saw a nearly motionless white, cream and metallic pear-shaped object, with a trail under it. Attempted intercept by USAF T-33 jet trainer failed. Ground radar tracking. (Wilson, Berliner; Project 1947)

Sept. 15,1959; Kadena AFB, Okinawa (BBU)
7 a.m.-1 p.m. 3 USAF personnel radar tracked multiple green objects, and sighted 4-5 mins a silvery object tilted downwards visible only when lit by a rotating beacon light and which moved slowly on a straight path in the direction of the winds. (CUFOS re-eval.; Jan Aldrich)

Sept. 24, 1959. Near Redmond, Oregon.(BBU)
About 4:55 a.m. (PST). Redmond Police officer Robert Dickerson saw a strange bright light [white ball­ shaped?] rapidly descending north of the airport then stopped and hovered several hundred [200?] feet above ground for several mins where it lit up the juniper trees below. He drove toward it on the Prineville Hwy then turned toward the airport, when the object turned orange [reddish-orange?] and moved rapidly to [dive and hover?] about 10 miles NE of the airport at about 3,000 ft [height? altitude?  Redmond is at 3,000 ft elevation MSL]. Dickerson arrived at the airport to report sighting in person at 4:59 a.m. at Redmond FAA Air Traffic Communication Station. FAA Flight Service Specialist Laverne Wertz, Dickerson and others viewed object through binoculars. FAA station reported UFO to Seattle Air Route Control Center at 5:10 a.m., which in turn reported it to Hamilton AFB, Calif., which scrambled 6 F-102 jets from Portland [?] to intercept UFO. FAA station observers saw object hover and emit long tongues of red, yellow and green light which extended and retracted at irregular intervals. As F-102’s approached the object from the SE [?] it turned into mushroom shape, emitted red and yellow flames from lower side and ascended rapidly, disappearing above scattered clouds at about 14,000 ft [altitude? height?]. [Object’s departure forced one F-102 to swerve to avoid collision, another nearly lost control from UFO’s turbulent wake; tracked on F-102 airborne radars but jets unable to intercept.] Object reappeared about 20 miles S of Redmond at about 25,000 ft. Seattle Center reported at 6:20 a.m. radar contact with object about 25 miles S of Redmond at 52,000 ft was made by USAF ADC radar site at Klamath Falls, Ore., which tracked a large 300-400 ft[?] target and vectored B-47 and F-89 aircraft to identify. Redmond FAA controllers lost sight of object. Seattle FAA reported at 7:11 a.m. that Klamath Falls radar still tracked object at 25 miles S of Redmond but varying altitude from 6,000 to 52,000 ft. (Fran Ridge/NICAP UFOE, V)

Sept. 28, 1959, Detroit, Michigan (BB)
At 0230Z hours a witness at 5764 Beaconsfield Street, Detroit, Michigan, observed a spherical-shaped white to blue in color object in a straight flight in the sky. The object was observed at approximately 75 degrees azimuth and was seen for approximately six or seven minutes. No sound was detected. This location is approximately two miles north of Nike Sites D-23 and D-26. D-26 was equipped with Nike Hercules Missiles with nuclear capable warheads. (Brad Sparks)


Oct. 1 [or 3rd or 4th week?], 1959; Telephone Ridge, Oregon (BBU 6534)
9:15 p.m. Department store manager C. A. Cissman saw a bright light approach, hover about 30 mins, then take off and disappear in 2 secs. (Berliner)

Oct. 2, 1959; Seattle, Washington (BBU)
12:20 am local time (PST) (0820Z). For three hours, a Hercules radar site (#13), Battery D, 2 M.B., 43 Artillery, Seattle, Washington, tracked a total of five objects which usually appeared in pairs. The radar returns were said to be ‘weak.’ Visually, at least one, soundless, round. ‘quarter sized,’ blue/white light was seen in the sky. ARTC reported no air traffic in the area of the radar site during the time of contact. The first object on radar was seen at 10 degrees elevation, azimuth 190 degrees. The last object seen on radar was at 20 degrees elevation, azimuth 170 degrees. The visual object was at 10 degrees elevation, azimuth 190 degrees. When last observed the visual object was 20 degrees elevation, azimuth 170 degrees. Flight patterns were erratic. Range would change from 4000 yards to 8000 yards, and azimuth from 190 degrees to 170 degrees. Objects seemed to fade from scope and visual contact when finally lost. Visual contact was disrupted by intermittent fog, which moved in about 1.5 hours after the initial sighting. Surface wind was 10 knots from azimuth 010 degrees.(Basterfield, Fold3; McDonald list; Sparks; Condon case 1211-B). [Swords in his case file noted “McDonald re-opened this case in C. 1970 & declared it an unknown. I, however, can’t (yet) find his views on it.”]

Oct. 4, 1959; Quezon, Philippines (BBU 6538)
9:25 p.m. USN Lt. C. H. Pogson and CPO K. J. Moore saw a large round or oval object, changing from red to red­ orange, fly straight and level. (Berliner

Oct. 6, 1959; Lincoln, Nebraska (BBU 6543)
8:15 p.m. Selective Service Lt. Col. L. Liggett and wife saw a round, white-yellow light make several abrupt turns at high speed. (Berliner)

Oct. 7, 1959; Nr. Forrest City, Arkansas
Kentucky Air National Guard pilot chased glowing object. [NICAP UFOE, V]

Oct. 12, 1959; Washington, Georgia.(BBU)
(McDonald list)

Oct. 15, 1959; Terre Haute, Indiana (BB)
Oct. 19, 1959; N of Langley AFB, Virginia (BBU)
(McDonald list)

Oct. 19. 1959; Plainville, Kansas (BBU 6563)
9:25 [10:25? EST] p.m. Capt. F. A. Henney, engineering instructor at USAF Academy, flying a T-33 jet trainer, saw a bright yellowish light on collision course with the T-33, the pilot avoided it and the light dimmed. (Berliner; Project 1947)

Oct. 20, 1959; Key West, Florida
Navy enlisted men watched two UFOs rendezvous, speed away. [NICAP UFOE, IV]

Oct. 21, 1959; Warsaw, New York (BBU)
6:00 a.m. local time (EDT). Four, star shaped, bright, ‘half dollar‘ sized, soundless, red and white objects were observed by a 43 year old man. Two were as a pair; the other two scattered. Initially seen overhead, they were stationary for 30 minutes, apart from when they veered 45 degrees south. They disappeared in daylight. Sky was scattered clouds. (Basterfield, Fold3; McDonald list; Sparks.)

Oct. 22, 1959; Cumberland, Maryland
Car motor, headlights, and radio failed as UFO hovered over road ahead. (Item 80, 1960 NICAP report)

Oct. 22-23, 1959;  11 miles S. of Loring AFB, Maine (BBU)
At 0424Z on October 23, a low flying object was reported, 11 miles south of Loring AFB (Loring AFB 46:57N; 67:53W), by a civilian. It was described as quiet and bright. Jets were scrambled but only a bright star was seen.At 0600Z on October 23, two bluish objects with red rings were seen over Presque Isle (46:42N; 68:07W), Maine. There were two witnesses. One object was reported hovering. Radar picked up objects at an altitude given as less than 15,000 feet. One sped north at 300 to 500 knots, according to radar.At 0805Z on October 23, Ronald F Brown, Air Police, at Loring AFB observed a round, white light, apparently stationary. The object was seen by ground radar GPS-3 type. The radar estimated height was 5,000 feet. Winds from SW to W. At 0900Z on October 23, Caswell GCI site had objects on radar at 25,000 (26,000?) feet, 88 (?) degrees from Loring AFB. At 23/1000Z Burlington AFB scrambled two F-102 aircraft. GCI vectored these in, at 40,000 feet. No visual sighting was reported by the air crew.There were four other, less significant reports, from the area. (Basterfield, Fold3; Sparks; McDonald list.)

Oct. 26, 1959; Toccoa, Georgia (BBU)
(McDonald list)

Oct. 28, 1959; Valparaiso, Chile
Astronomer, others, observed maneuvering orange disc. [NICAP UFOE, X]

Nov. 3, 1959; Utica, New York (BBU)
6:55 p.m. (EST). USAF pilot of T-33 with 4039th Strategic Wing saw a round a stationary round yellow-white object move away, disappear, then reappear. (Project 1947)

Nov. 5, 1959; Montauk AFS, Long Island, New York (BBU)
7:19 p.m. EST. A blip appeared on radar screens of the 773rd RADRON (SAGE). The target was steadily climbing to a range of 43 miles at an azimuth of 286 degrees. The track was first seen at azimuth 282 degrees at 40 miles. The blip faded out at an altitude of 78,200 feet. The observation was on FPS-20, FPS-6 radars and IFF: UPX-6. The length of observation was 10 minutes. (McDonald list)

Nov. 18, 1959; S of Crystal Springs, Mississippi (BBU 6600)
6:25 p.m. J. M. Porter saw a row of red lights fly slow, then accelerate immensely. (Berliner)

Dec. 18, 1959; S Victoria Island, Canada (BBU)
(McDonald list)

Dec. 23, 1959; 10 mi. W. of Albuquerque, New Mexico (BBU)
At 12:05 p.m. MST, three objects were picked up at 70,000 feet at 208 degrees at 72 miles on a MPS-14 radar at the 687th AC&W Squadron. The objects flew on a 90 degree heading and were descending at a rate of 700 feet per minute. The objects disappeared from the radar after 1 hour 32 minutes at 11,000 feet altitude at 120 degrees at 65 miles distance. (McDonald, Dan Wilson, Jan Aldrich)