Posted: 3 June 2009
Updated: 25 March 2014
(NICAP.org)
The whole UFO case report:
“9:55 pm
local
Duration Sev mins
aircraft R5D Navy C54
Newfoundland, Canada
|
Military
6-7+ observers
No EMI
Possible radar contact
|
Fran Ridge:
Feb. 9, 1951; Off Newfoundland,
Canada
(0055 Zulu is Feb. 10th) 9:55 pm local (Feb. 9). A
four engine Navy R5D transport was flying west over the Atlantic.
On this trip the pilots and navigators were bringing two flight crews home from
special duty in Europe. Including his own crew
there were over twenty-five pilots, navigators and flight engineers aboard the
transport. Bright indefinite object first sighted near ocean surface at 060 relative,
then became a ring which had a close encounter with the transport. Object now
circular estimated at in excess of 400' diameter, then turned and disappeared
over horizon on course 290 at tremendous speed. The National Archives turned up
a number of supporting documents on this case, including Air Intelligence
Information Reports by five of the crew members. Although it isn't documented,
reports indicate the object was tracked by ground radar. Publicly, the Air
Force made several attempts to explain the sighting as the aurora borealis
(northern lights) or the Moon, but behind the scenes the encounter was; being
taken very seriously. The number and quality of UFO sightings in the region in
1950 prompted the government of Iceland
to request military aid from the United States. Apparently what we
know today as UFOs were interpreted as experimental Soviet bombers. After 50
years of waiting, no craft with this discription [description] or performance has shown up in any
Earthly inventory, Russion [Russian] or American.
This event, and others like it, prompted the development of the Air Defense
Command. (James McDonald’s letter to NICAP shows William D. Bridge was the weather navigator on that
flight and mentioned another witness named Abrams. Another witness was Fred
Kingdon who says Bethune was a co-pilot on his flight and that the AF
investigation team at Argentia classified the incident as Top Secret. Finally,
the final testimony of Graham Bethune was written by Robert Durant and is
presented below in a doc file.) Major Donald Keyhoe had learned of this hidden
report in 1959. Admiral Delmer S. Fahrney, former Navy guided missile chief
(whom he had known for years) told him that Captain James Taylor, USN, Ret.,
had an important UFO sighting made by a naval pilot and his crew. That night Taylor gave him the
report.
Richard Hall:
I must say that after reading the BB file, the notion
that they saw the moon seems absurd. It is very clear that the object
approached from one direction, then (a la Nash-Fortenberry) reversed direction
at a very sharp angle and disappeared over the horizon in quite a different
position. Quite an ‘illusion!’
Dan Wilson:
In par 10 of Bethune’s report he states that Capt.
D.H. Paulson’s written and radar report was not on microfilm (meaning BB files
I guess). So there may be a radar report.”
Wikipedia article: “List of Douglas DC-4 variants”:
U.S. Navy R5D Transport (text by NICAP.org)
(variant: Douglas
DC-4 R5D) (nicap.org photo)
(canada-maps.org image)
