Case Directory
  Category 2, Close Encounters 
 
 


                                   
     

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'. 

Huge UFO Near VORTAC
October 18, 1973
Mt. Vernon, Indiana


Fran Ridge:
Oct. 18, 1973; Mt. Vernon, Indiana
10:30 p.m. The lady had gone to bed on this Thursday evening but was disturbed by a loud  noise. She described it as sounding like a barge on the river.  Her home is in the line of traffic from Evansville Dress-Regional Airport about 15 miles to the NE and she sees a lot of aircraft traffic. She saw an object over her garage and to the east. It was merely an outline produced by as many as 50 lights, not exactly evenly-spaced. It didn't appear to have any body to it and it had a red flashing light on the rear. It was long and narrow, about 3 times as long as it was wide, moving very slowly, east to west. Right in front of her house it turned south toward the river and she saw the end view. It was described as not round but sort of rectangular...like a squared-off cigar. At this time it was really low and she said she should have seen metal as it went past a tree. It got lower than the trees at least during one point during the observation. Total time of observation: 5 minutes. Dogs present showed no response. (See detailed investigation report in case file folder)

Detailed reports and documents
nicap.org/731018mansfield_dir.htm (CUFOS) *
Case file folder
UFO Intelligence Summary for October 18, 1973 (Fran Ridge) **
How UFOs Navigate The VORTAC Beacon (UFO Report/Robert  A. Goerman)
Interrogation tape on file (Fran Ridge, MUFON)
Investigation forms at MUFON HQ



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