presents
  The 1976 UFO Chronology


1978 Magazine cover depicting 1976 event, courtesy of Richard Hall (See March 15/16 case)
Map of sightings for 1976, courtesy of Larry Hatch's "U" Database (Pending)

Created: July 15, 2007, Updated 1 Nov 2012
This is an 16-page chronology of UFO incidents and events for 1976
. Our thanks for these chronologies must go to our documentation team: Richard Hall (the original 1976 chronology from UFOE II), William Wise (Project Blue Book Archive), Dan Wilson (archive researcher), Brad Sparks (Comprehensive Catalog of Project Blue Book Unknowns), and Jean Waskiewicz (online NICAP DBase [NSID]). The latest entries are courtesy of A-Team member, Mike Swords.

Richard Hall was International Coordinator for MUFON at this time and he has provided a number of cases besides those listed in the UFOE II. Dan Wilson submitted the NICAP UFOI sightings.. Some of the brief entries are database listings from NIDS or CUFOS.

Francis Ridge
NICAP Site Coordinator


The 1976 UFO Chronology
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1976; A 30 day period in 1976 [exact dates not mentioned]; Goldstone Tracking Station/ Barstow, CA
Many civilian employees had been hired by NASA to do maintenance jobs around the big 85 foot tracking dish. They'd show up for a normal day's work, paint towers or whatever and go home. However, on 10-12 days of a set of 30, something odd happened. On each of these days, at approximately noon, there would appear in the general direction of the town of Barstow, a silver sphere. The sphere would remain fixed in place for somewhere in the three to five minute range, and then just disappear. The witness was asked about "disappearance". He said that it was possible that the thing could have gone so rapidly that you could not pick it up, but that it seemed to simply disappear. Looked at through a small telescope, the object gave the appearance of a perfectly smooth featureless sphere. The local air base was called but said that nothing was in the air [which does not preclude something funky going on by them]. The witness tended to trust this since they had not been secretive about the B-1 flights they ran at the time. (Submitted by Mike Swords. Sources: The John Timmerman UFO files (CUFOS), and written up in Grass-Roots UFOs, Michael D. Swords, FUFOR, 2005; and The Los Angeles Times, November 27, 1957 [as referenced in Max Miller's SAUCERS}.)

Jan.1, 1976; Marle, France
1:00 a.m. Three witnesses watched a 15-meter long football-shaped object hover 800 meters above a road then shot straight up in the sky fast. (Source: Lumieres dans la Nuit, January 1979).

Jan. 5, 1976; Domene, Isere, France
5:50 p.m. Jean Claude Silvente, age 10, was walking through a vacant lot overgrown with brush and surrounded by buildings in Domene, Isere, France when he heard a noise, and saw that a bell-shaped UFO had landed next to some bushes. It was about 30 feet away from him, about 15 feet high, a luminous white color, and resting on five thin legs. A door in the craft opened and a very tall man, at least two meters tall, emerged. He wore tight, white luminous coveralls and had long blond hair. On the back of each hand was a green circle. He walked stiffly with his arms extended in front of him, in the manner of a sleepwalker. When the boy sneezed, this giant turned toward him, and Jean Claude ran home. A short while later he was sent out by his mother to get some milk, and while returning home he saw the same being again. It was following him on the sidewalk 80 feet behind, still with its arms held out stiffly in front of him. Jean Claude ran home. Note: An almost identical humanoid was seen in Chamouilley, France in October of that same year. It had similar features, was tall and had blond hair, and it also walked in the manner of a sleepwalker with one slight difference, it appeared to be wearing tight-fitting goggles. (Sources: Charles Bowen, Saga UFO Report, November 1976, p. 62; Bil Gil Helair, Skylook, May 1976, p. 5; Alain Gamard, UFO Register, volume 7, p. 44; Jean-Claude Bourret, OVNI l' Armee Parle, p. 146; David F. Webb and Ted Bloecher, HUMCAT: Catalogue of Human Reports, case 1976-02, citing Michel Levy, Lumieres dans la Nuit, issue # 159).

Jan. 6, 1976; Stanford, KY
Domed disc with body lights descended, illuminated car interior with blue light; missing time, abduction, physiological effects (Ref. 1, Section XIII).

Jan. 8, 1976; Shale Plant on "Bootlegger", MT
5;30 p.m. Several saucer shape (UFO 51 NIDS)

Jan. 10, 1976; NE of Belt, MT
11:00 p.m. Two pulsating red lights at 500' (UFO 48 NIDS)

Jan. 17, 1976; 15 miles W. of Augusta, MT
5:30 p.m. 70' altitude, light bulb shape (UFO 55 NIDS)

Jan. 17, 1976; Great Falls, MT
5:40 p.m. UFO. NORAD did not confirm. (UFO 54 NIDS)

Jan. 19, 1976; Heislerville, NJ
About 7:30 p.m. Witnesses saw an object with two bright lights hovering over woods about 300 yards away. After about 2 minutes the object sped away, passing directly overhead  making a low whirring noise. It appeared to be boomerang-shaped (or more heart-shaped something like an artist's palette judging by the newspaper sketches). A semi-circle of red lights was visible on the underside near the front where something like headlights were visible. Two of the witnesses reported seeing motion or figures inside the apparent craft. (The Press, Atlantic City, NJ, Jan. 21, 1976.)

Jan. 21, 1976; Cannon AFB, NM
Sometime before 3:55 a.m. MST. NMCC Memo: The following information was received from the Air Force Operations center at 0555 EST: "Two UFOs are reported near the flight line at Cannon AFB, New Mexico. Security Police observing them reported the UFOs to be 25 yards in diameter, gold or silver in color with blue light on top, hole in the middle and red light on the bottom. Air Force is checking with radar. Additionally, checking weather inversion data."  (Actual FOIA document) Among other UFO researchers who arrived in Clovis were several members of the "UFO Study Group," which has about 40 members, mainly employees of the Los Alamos Scientific Laboratories ­ the facility where the atomic bomb was developed in World War II. Police said scores of sightings were reported between 6 p.m. and 10:30 p.m. Friday an hour before the Los Alamos observers arrived. (Las Cruces SUN NEWS, Sunday Morning, Jan. 25, 1976)

Reports of the sightings have increased steadily since the first night. Most of the reports have been of faraway objects, but Town Marshal Willie Ronquillo of Texico said he followed a silent object about 300 yards over his car. Ronquillo said the object, which had green, yellow and blue lights, sped away at a high speed to the north. Lenore Hildebrand of the UFO center in Wisconsin said Jim Epps of Valley Center, Calif., would arrive in Clovis. She said an Air Force officer from Clovis called the center Friday night and told them he "had a very close sighting and was able to witness a type of vehicle that did maneuver and that was unlike any type aircraft he has ever seen." (Las Cruces SUN News, same as above)
 
Jan. 21, 1976; Fairfield, MT
9:00 p.m. 300' craft on ground with others. (UFO 52 NIDS)

Jan. 25, 1976; Gillette, WY
8:09 p.m. A Sheriff's deputy was driving with his family when an object started coming toward the car. The deputy immediately stopped the car and turned off the headlights. The object appeared to be the size of a semi-truck and had rotating lights of many different colors. The center of the object was a bright light. As the object came closer to the car, the officer felt that "It was trying to catch us," and he tried to turn his car around. When he was unable to turn on the narrow road, he started backing away from the UFO. After traveling for almost a mile, he reached a point where he could turn around. By this time the object was about 100 yards from the car and about 10 feet off the ground. As the officer was attempting to turn his car, the UFO was lost from sight. Later the witness returned home and got into a truck in order to search for the UFO away from the main roads. Upon his return to the valley where he had seen the UFO first, a "bright light" rose swiftly and soon disappeared from view. (Reference: UFO INVESTIGATOR, May 1976, page 1)

Jan. 27, 1976; Key West, FL
4:25 a.m. Mrs. Rosemary Heitmeyer was still awake looked out her hall window and observed three objects that looked like upside down soup bowls with domed tops. The objects were bobbing and moving very slowly. Underneath the objects there were square windows glaring an orange-red color. Mrs. Heitmeyer woke up her husband and he joined her outside the house. The three objects were still moving slowly, but soon started moving rapidly away. Mr. Heitmeyer, a retired Navy chief petty officer and former employee of the Cape Kennedy Missile Test Center, confirmed his wife's observations. He estimated that the objects were about one half mile away. (Reference: UFO INVESTIGATOR, April 1976, page 3)

Jan. 31, 1976; Eglin AFB, FL
4:30 EST (3:30 CST). UFOs were spotted over the base's Armament Development and Test Center, just like it happened in Loring AFB in 1975. This 31 jan 1976 NMCC memo dated the same day at 1400 EST states: 1. At 310805 received phoncon from AFOC: MG Lane, CG, Armament and Development Test Center, Eglin AFB, Florida called and reported a UFO sighting from 0430 EST to 0600 EST. Security Policemen spotted lights from what they called a UFO near an Eglin radar site. 2. Photographs of the lights were taken. The Eglin Office of Information has made a press release on the UFO. 3. The temperature inversion analysis indicated no significant temperature inversion at Eglin AFB at that time. The only inversion present was due from radiation from the surface to 2500 feet. The Eglin surface conditions were clear skies, visibility 10-15 miles, calm winds, shallow ground fog on the runway, and a surface temperature of 44 degree F. [Signed] Fred A. Treyz, Brigadier General, USAF Deputy Director for Operations (NMCC) (Actual FOIA document)

Feb. 1976 (date unknown); Woodlawn, OH
Humanoid report. No details. (SR,89)

Feb. 5, 1976; France
Two women saw a dark domed disc with red and white lights through a second floor bedroom window. Inside the transparent dome they could see two human like figures. They had tight fitting hoods on their heads. The UFO flew away over an orchard. (Source: David F. Webb & Ted Bloecher, HUMCAT: Catalogue of Humanoid Reports, case A1861, citing Joel Mesnard).

Feb. 5, 1976; Fort Shaw, MT
9:48 p.m. UFO landed near ranch house, 300' long. (UFO 57 NIDS) A report of a UFO landing came in from the Simms area February 5, 1976, and for the first time in their long and frustrating investigation, officers arrived on the scene in time to see the object for themselves. But they were thwarted in their attempts to get a closer look. The call came in from a woman who was caring for some neighbor children while their parents were on a trip. She said she and her own two daughters were returning home from Simms when they saw a bright light behind the house and up on top of the hill. The woman stopped the car and they watched the light, which was very intense and pulsated when it was moving. It appeared to change color from a dull glow to a bright reddish orange. She described the object as about 300 feet long with rows of continuous lights along the top and bottom. She said the bottom lights pulsated alternately from left to right. One of the girls she was caring for, a 16-year-old, saw the glow from a second floor window of her home. After moving back and forth, the object left in a southwesterly direction, disappearing behind some buttes. Shortly after officers arrived on the scene, they received a radio message from Sheriff Pete Howard, saying the lights were visible in the Sunny Slope area near Fairfield, not far from where the rancher and his two sons had watched the UFOs. They were able to see the light, but, because of the hilly terrain, could not get closer to it. After two hours of trying to get closer, they lost sight of it entirely. (Reference: MYSTERY STALKS THE PRAIRIE by Roberta Donovan and Keith Wolverton, pages 48-49)

Feb. 7, 1976; Farmersville, IN
5:15 a.m. The middle-aged couple lived in a mobile home. The dog had been barking and woke them up, so the man looked out the window and then went out on the porch. The sky was clear. He went out immediately when the dog started barking to check on this and some equipment, a backhoe, dump truck, 4-wheel drive, etc., and "saw the glow from the object. The whole area was lit up "like a dusk to dawn light that wasn't supposed to be there."  He was at the back of the trailer looking south at the object, which was less than 200' off the ground and 500-600 yards distant at first. It was stationary in the beginning, then moved slowly east, climbing gradually. The object headed further east toward a point south of his son's trailer, which was about 500-600 yards from his trailer, across the field and a gulley. The object was actually long, somewhat rectangular-shaped with blunt ends and flat on the bottom, with a strong yellow-greenish beam of light that they could actually see moving very slowly across field. "I could see the ground out there, the grass, the weeds...clear as a bird...good'n daylight (like)."....a little later just south of his son's trailer was a round object. It was a darker green than the rectangular thing and looked like it was right in the fence-row. This one looked like it might have been 8 or 10 feet in diameter and on, or very near, the ground. It changed color from pale green to bright blue and back to to pale green. When the larger rectangular object got over in the area of the trailer and a little south, the smaller sphere moved up to the bottom of the big object and "went out like a light." The single remaining object departed slowly to the East.  The big one was moving very slow. Duration: 20 mins. No sound. (Ridge files, UFO Filter Center)

Feb. 8, 1976; Manchester, MT
5:30 p.m. Two domed objects, white and blue. (UFO 70 NIDS)

Feb. 8, 1976; Kissimmee, FL
At 10:30 p.m. a silvery white disc-shaped object flew over at less than 300 meters altitude, making a whistling noise. (Source: NICAP UFO Investigator, May 1976).

Feb. 10, 1976; High Spring, FL
11:00 p.m. A woman living near Lake City called the sheriff's office to report a "flying saucer." Sheriff deputies were dispatched to investigate and reported seeing a UFO hovering about 500 to 600 feet in the air. Different colored lights were flashing from what looked like a glass dome. Florida highway patrol troopers also observed the object before it moved out of sight. (Reference: UFO INVESTIGATOR, July 1976, page 1)

Feb. 10, 1976; Hamden, CT
On Denslow Hill two 14-year-old teenagers, Grey and Barnet, saw two very short humanoid beings shuffle rapidly across a road. They wore purple-colored luminous one-piece suits and their waists were 20-22 inches above the ground. When the boys followed them a bright white, lemon-shaped UFO blinked on, and took off into the air only 15 feet away from them. (Source: James P. Barrett, case investigation files, and HUMCAT: Catalogue of Humanoid Encounters, case A1457).

Feb. 14, 1976; Fort Benton, MT
7:20 p.m. Black Horse Lake. UFO, 500' high, landed near lake. (UFO 59 NIDS)

Feb. 13, 1976; between Tarraleah and Berridale, Tasmania
4:00 a.m. A truck driver driving saw a bright object ahead and to his left.. It was low to the ground. The light had maintained its position relative to his truck for some time, so the driver woke up his companion. The driver estimated the object was about one kilometer away and 300 meters in altitude. The two men tried a transistor radio, but it emitted only static until the end of the sighting. They estimated the object to be 10 meters in diameter with a dome on top. After being paced for 60 kilometers, they stopped to change drivers. When they did this the UFO dropped down to within 300 meters of their truck, then hovered nearby. As they started driving again, the UFO moved across the road and paced them again at varying distances until sunrise. A small orange light accompanied the main object during the latter half of the sighting. (Source: Mark Rodeghier, UFO Reports Involving Vehicle Interference, case 392, citing ACOS Bulletin, June 1976)

Feb. 18, 1976; Rancho Cordova, CA
6:45 p.m. PST 8-10 discs were sighted flying in a V formation over Rancho Cordova, California. The objects were 3 to 6 meters in diameter, gray in color, and made no sound. Afterwards the witness saw ten aircraft circling that portion of the sky. (Source: CUFOS investigation file, report dated March 1, 1976).

Feb. 18, 1976; Near Okatchee, AL
8:00 p.m. EST. Two women driving in a rural area reported that lights high in the sky paced their car for 13-14 miles from Chatchee to Lincoln, Alabama. Near Okatchee, Alabama they saw a large orange object in the woods near the ground to their left. Their CB radio stopped working, making no static, no sound at all. Two objects then followed them until they reached Lincoln, Alabama, where the UFOs approached to within 300-400 feet. The women saw five objects at this point. After passing through Lincoln, the objects stopped pacing the car and the CB radio suddenly started working. The two objects that had paced the car were egg-shaped and glowing with a fluorescent light. (Sources: CUFOS investigation file, report dated May 17, 1976; Mark Rodeghier, UFO Reports Involving Vehicle Interference, case 392, citing CUFOS).

Feb. 19, 1976; Chesapeake Bay, MD
About 8:10 p.m. "...went on deck for another check and saw two balls of light moving very rapidly toward the eastern shore ..., altitude approximately 2000 feet heading due east. The starboard one went straight ahead, the one to port was bouncing around like a ball, moving directly up and down and to either side, estimated speed above Mach 1. It did not make turns but moved directly. Within seconds there were several military jets after them. [Apparently, he suggests, from Patuxent River Naval Air Station]. I followed them through binoculars until they were out of sight over the Choptank River. I was lying off Point No Point, the seeing was perfect. (Letter to CUFOS from Warren Ballard, Mar. 4, 1981, from ship's log. )

Feb. 19, 1976; Marysville, CA
7:00 p.m. Sutter County sheriff's office received a call reporting a UFO being observed by two witnesses. Deputy Gerald Teplansky was dispatched to the scene and was able to observe the objects for about five minutes. The deputy stated he saw three red-orange glowing objects hovering in a triangular formation. He soon saw another object streak northward across the sky before all four objects disappeared.
(Reference: UFO INVESTIGATOR, July 1976, page 3)

Feb. 19, 1976; Lake Hiawatha area, NJ
9:15 p.m. Numerous witnesses reported a strange object to the Parsipany Police Department. The object was a large rectangular shaped object seen hovering in the vicinity of Jersey City Reservoir. The object was estimated to be about 50 feet long with a small turret or dome-like top and a bright diamond shaped light on the bottom. Two very bright lights were seen at each end of the object and in its center. All the witnesses reported two separate similar objects. The first moved at a rapid rate of speed from west to the east. The second object followed the first but moved more slowly. It hovered over the reservoir for approximately four minutes before moving out of sight at a high rate of speed. The hovering UFO made a sound described as a low fluctuating hum. Mr. Walter Kahl observed the UFO with the aid of binoculars and could not observe any recognizable markings on the object. (Reference: UFO INVESTIGATOR, April 1976, page 1)

Feb. 20, 1976; Essex County, MA
7:00 p.m. A young man and woman saw some odd red lights in the sky in Essex County, Massachusetts. Then two flattened disc-shaped objects with three triangular lights descended close to their car and maneuvered nearby for about 10 minutes. The car's radio had heavy static during a portion of the sighting. The two objects finally flew out of view. (Source: Mark Rodeghier, UFO Reports Involving Vehicle Interference, case 394, citing MUFON case file).

Feb. 22, 1976; near Great Falls, MT
10:00 a.m. Leonard Hegele, a 29-year old student, spotted a seven-foot tall humanoid with three-foot wide shoulders walking through a field about a mile from Interstate I-15 south of Great Falls, Montana. It walked with a non-human gait. Mr. Hegele stopped his car and attempted to chase the being, but when he got to within 700-800 feet, the creature turned around to face him and Hegele lost his courage and ran back to his car. While he was chasing the creature Hegele saw a gray, oval shaped object hovering in the air nearby. It hovered only 10 feet above the ground, but periodically rose and fell back down another 15 feet. (Sources: David F. Webb & Ted Bloecher, HUMCAT: Catalogue of Humanoid Reports, case 1976-41 (A1463), citing Jerome Clark; Great Falls Tribune, February 23, 1976).

Feb. 24, 1976; Stratham, NH
9:27 p.m. A six meter in diameter domed disc hovered over a road. There were four legs on the bottom of the craft, and it was silent. (Source: Raymond E. Fowler, Skylook, May 1976, p. 3).

Feb. 25, 1976; Kettering, Tasmania 
1:00 a.m. A glowing, domed object landed on the beach at 1:00 a.m., making a humming noise. Beings were seen through the windows in the craft. The domed disc made a louder noise as it took off, and flew away toward the east.

Feb. 25, 1976; Maneru, Spain
4:00 p.m. Five school children saw a UFO descend and land in a nearby field. The UFO was 8-10 meters wide, and had a transparent dome. A two-meter tall being emerged dressed in a black coverall suit. The figure took a few steps through the field of barley, and then returned to the craft, and took off. There were landing traces at the site. (Source: Gordon Creighton, FSR, April 1977, p. 27).

Feb. 25, 1976; Nashville, IL
Evening. Humanoid report. Woman encountered two "beings" while driving on a country road NW of Nashville. The being flashed a blue light at her before she sped away. Beings described as very tall "with large feet and no necks." (MUFON 100-7, CUFOS-AP)

Feb. 25, 1976; Location unknown, MT
8:30 p.m. UFO photos, daylight sighting. (UFO 66 NIDS)

Feb. 26, 1976; Long Island, NY
6:15 P.M. Mrs. Audrey Manny observed a large dome shaped object hovering to the south of her home. After about three minutes it started moving toward her at a rapid rate of speed. As it passed overhead, Mrs. Manny saw patterned lights underneath the object. There were four white lights in front and four red lights in the rear, each arranged in a diamond shaped pattern. There seemed to be 6 to 9 windows on the side of the object. A brilliant white light was coming from these windows. Then altitude was estimated to be between 1000 and 1600 feet. The craft was described as being very large. The object traveled north before shooting straight up and disappearing. (Reference: UFO INVESTIGATOR, April 1976, page 3)

March 2, 1976; Theville, France 
8:10 p.m. A silver box, about five meters in diameter, flew low over the trees in Theville, France. Two men, Messrs. Leveziel and Mahaut witnessed the UFO, which was described as having 30 round holes on each side. It flew off toward the northwest. (Source: Francis Leblond, Phenomenes Spatiaux, September 1976, p. 12, citing Lumieres dans la Nuit, issue 163).

March 3, 1976; Refrigerio, Brazil 
4:00 p.m. A 12-year-old boy named Ojeda saw a 40-foot in diameter shiny disc in a clearing in the forest in Refrigerio, Brazil. It sat upon some type of metallic platform. Two beings in shiny suits, less than five feet tall, were seen outside making repairs. Blinded by a flash of intense light, he was captured and taken aboard the craft. The beings communicated with the boy using telepathy, and gave him a physical exam on an exam table. He had skin burns resulting from the flash of light. (Source: David F. Webb & Ted Bloecher, HUMCAT: Catalogue of Humanoid Reports, case A1465, citing Gray Barker, UFO Report, June 1977, p. 37).

March 3, 1976; Tours, Indre-et-Loire, France
Night. French AF T-33, object illuminates aircraft. Testimony of French fighter pilot Colonel Claude Bosc. On night training flight in a T-33, Bosc saw a bright light approach at high speed on a collision course. His jet was then enveloped in green phosphorescent light for several seconds. Radar showed nothing, but two other pilots saw the encounter from a distance.

March 5, 1976; Redmond, OR 
9:25 p.m. A 23-year-old woman saw an object high in the sky, which then dropped down to an altitude of only 75 feet. The object was disc-shaped, about 26 feet in diameter, and had red and white lights revolving around its exterior. Two light beams were directed from the object to the ground. The radio in her car went dead when the object came near, and although the woman kept driving, the radio did not work again until two miles down the road. The object did not follow the car. (Source: Mark Rodeghier, UFO Reports Involving Vehicle Interference, case 395, citing CUFOS)

March 11, 1976; Palma de Majorca, Spain
Object paced airliner.

March 12, 1976; Paso Fondo, Brazil
Photo case.

March 15, 1976; NW Maryland
9:20 p.m. The sighting lasted until 1:30 a.m. on March 16. The first observer happened to have a citizens band radio and began communications with other people regarding the light that was displaying unusual movements in the clear night sky. The citizens band contact initiated responses from at least six to twelve different individuals. The witnesses were positioned within five to six mile radius from one another. All the individuals involved with the citizens equipment remained in contact with one another throughout the sighting. The UFO was basically described as, "large, yellowish and indistinct." The object behaved erratically throughout the sighting. The distance of the object was reported as being approximately 1,000 feet off the ground during most of the sighting. One witness stated that the object was directly overhead for a matter of moments and the altitude could not have been over 500 feet. During the sighting, it was noted by all witnesses that the object behaved erratically. At times it appeared to hover and then move off at incredible speeds many times during the sighting. See magazine cover at top of this chronology. Reference: UFO INVESTIGATOR, April 1976, pages 3-4)

March 25, 1976; Belt, MT
11:40 p.m. UFO descended over vehicle, 50' diameter. (UFO 77 NIDS)

March 26, 1976; MADAR Equipment Triggered
8:45 a.m. Multiple Anomaly Detection and Automated Recording device at UFO Filter Center in Mt. Vernon, IN was triggered. No data acquired other than background radiation was normal, 16 cpm. (UFO Filter Center, ridge files)

March 26, 1976; 10 mi. S of Great Falls, MT
9:15 p.m. UFO described as a light that zigzagged in the sky. (UFO 78 NIDS)

March 27, 1976; St. Denis, Reunion 
6:45 a.m. The engine and headlights of a car died in St. Denis, Reunion, a French territory in the Indian Ocean, while in the presence of a small cloud by the roadside. The small cloud then rose up vertically, and shot off toward the southwest. (Source: Lumieres dans la Nuit, October 1976).

March 27, 1976; Mt. Vernon, IN
5:95 p.m. Distant cylindrical object described as a jumbo jet with no wings observed for 25 seconds moving SE to NW and climbing at a high rate of speed. No sound. (Ridge files, UFO Filter Center)

March 28, 1976; Villa park, IL
No details on this close encounter (C1) (CUFOS)

April 2, 1976; Chalus, Iran
Mr. Bazargani from Chalus, Iran was walking through a forest near his home on this day in 1976 when he had a UFO stop directly overhead. He realized he was paralyzed and could not move when he saw four beings emerge from the craft via a ladder. They took him aboard and brought him into a oval-shaped room. The UFO occupants were described as having big noses and thin lips. They took a strange looking instrument that emitted light and scanned it over his body from head to foot. His abduction lasted two days. (Source: David F. Webb and Ted Bloecher, HUMCAT: Catalogue of Humanoid Reports, case A1466).

April 4, 1976; Huntington, IN
C1. Close Encounter listed but no details, one witness. (EGBA,673)

April 5, 1976; Great Falls, MT
7:10 p.m. Cylindrical object, aluminum colored. (UFO 80 NIDS)

April 7, 1976; Kontich, Belgium 
11:40 p.m. A couple driving their car saw a dirigible-shaped UFO cross the road at a fairly low altitude. It had red and white spotlights around its perimeter. At 11:40 p.m. in Laroque Timbaut, France a three meter tall pinkish, ovoid object, 1 meter in diameter, hung just above the ground. It then jumped at distance of 200 meters almost instantaneously. (Sources: J. Delaire, UFO Register, Volume 7 (1976), p. 31; Larry Hatch, U computer database, case 11691).

April 13, Alliance, OH
C1, no details. (EGBA,685)


That the CIA has its own UFO experts is proven by this 1976 memo.


April 22, 1976; Elmwood, WI
Huge orange object, figures moving inside, blue flash, witness stunned; TV interference coincided. Rodeghier, 1981, p. 68; Schuessler, 1995, p. 109 (E,R,L) police car

April 23, 1976; Flintville, TN
Humanoid report, witnessed by Robertson. (EGBA,493)

April 23, 1976; Matapozuelos, Spain 
11:15 p.m. While half the town was watching a reddish oval shaped craft maneuvering overhead, 14-year-old Fidel Hernandez Rolla was playing with some friends in a field outside of town, when they saw the reddish spheres slowly descend and land on a nearby field. All of Fidel's friends fled in panic, so he was left behind alone. With a mixture of fear and curiosity, Fidel approached the object and then crouched behind a stonewall to watch the enigmatic craft. Suddenly a row of lights became visible inside an opening in the craft. Fidel was able to see numerous multi-colored lights, monitors and other unidentified apparatus inside the craft. The craft was topped by a crystal dome and inside the dome several very tall, human-like figures could be seen moving about. He then saw three tall man-like figures appear from behind the object, not very far from his location. The humanoids were over two meters tall and wore tight-fitting white uniforms with belts and boots. They all had light blond, shoulder-length hair. Their faces were human-like but with large almond-shaped eyes. In single file the three tall beings walked to a potato field where several pounds of potatoes were stacked high in a pyramid. After looking at the potatoes for a few seconds, the beings then stared at the witness. At this point Fidel heard unintelligible words inside his head, as if the humanoids were attempting to communicate with him telepathically. A few seconds later the beings suddenly vanished in plain sight. At the same time, the object rose up from the ground emitting a steady buzzing sound. As the object disappeared into the distance, several additional towns people arrived to see the object disappear into space. (Source: Albert S. Rosales, Humanoid Contact Database 1976, citing Iker Jimenez, Enigmas Sin Resolver).

April 26, 1976; Fayetteville, TN
C1. No details. (EGBA,493)

"Are UFOs Here to Survey Our Strategic Areas?", by Richard Hall. Our military facilities, electrical generating stations and fuel reserves are haunted by UFOs, which keep careful watch on the important activities. A special study of close-range UFO sightings suggests that the supposed extraterrestrial pilots may be interested in manufacturing areas, military installations and electric power stations in the United States. These conclusions are highly tentative since the mapping project that led to them is incomplete and continuing. However, they may indicate some important lines of investigation if the patterns hold up and are borne out by parallel studies in other countries.  HTML version


May 9, 1976; Braine-le-Comte, Belgium
10:30 p.m. A 22-year-old couple saw a rectangular object in the northwestern part of the sky. In the middle portion of the object protruded something like a funnel. It flew off to the north, describing a large circle in the sky as it did so. (Source: Rudy de Groote, UFO Register (Volume 7), 1977, p. 32, citing the Gazzette Antwerpen).

May 11, 1976; Greater Manchester, England
6:15 a.m. A silver suited figure stood next to silver sphere on the ground in Leigh, Greater Manchester, England. It was sighted by a Mrs. Kent at 6:15 a.m. as she passed by. Both were gone 20 minutes later when she passed by the site again. (Source: J. Bernard Delair, Northern Network News, June 1976, vol. 25, p. 8; Jenny Randles, FSR, October 1976, p. 27).

May 14, 1976; Olavarria, Argentina
Mr. Urruti, age 47, was driving his truck when he encountered an unusual fog while crossing over a bridge. An oyster shaped UFO emitted a blinding light beam, and both he and his truck were somehow picked up and abducted. Inside the craft he saw a luminous horseshoe-shaped instrument panel 3-4 meters long. A cask-like device with many cables attached to it was placed on his head, and he received messages from it that he would not reveal. He had sharp pain in his neck and wrists following the experience. (Sources: FSR, October 1976, p. 31, citing La Razon, May 22, 1976; Geoffrey Falla, BUFORA Vehicle Interference Project Report, p. 77; Thomas E. Bullard, UFO Abductions: The Measure of a Mystery, case 92, citing FSR; David F. Webb & Ted Bloecher, HUMCAT: Catalogue of Humanoid Reports, case A1472, citing La Razon).
 
May 18, 1976; Sant'Onofrio, Abruzzi, Italy
10:30 p.m. A man and his family observed a large, house-sized object hovering close to a nearby hill. The object approached the witnesses' home and from its top section a strong yellow light was directed over the area. The UFO had a large round opening from which a red light shone. From inside the porthole a dark, shadowy, man-like figure could be seen looking out at the witnesses for a brief period. It then moved away. A second object resembling a gray sphere with a ring around it was seen hovering above an abandoned house at the same time. (Source: Maurizio Verga, ITACAT Italian catalogue, case 85)

May 20, 1976; Jamestown, TN
C1, one witness, no details. (EGBA,494)

May 21, 1976; near Alamogordo, NM
A luminous UFO shaped like coolie hat paced a car in the desert near Alamogordo, containing three occupants. One of the passengers, a 28-year-old woman named Bryant, experienced five hours of missing time and later related an abduction experience. She reported being taken aboard the UFO where she was given intensive medical examinations and had several body samples taken. Among other procedures they scraped her skin, and drew fluid from one of her eyes. The occupants were short, about four feet tall, and had large hairless heads with large dark almond-shaped eyes. They also wore uniforms that resembled police uniforms. (Sources: Thomas E. Bullard, UFO Abductions: The Measure of a Mystery, case 093, citing the San Antonio (Texas) Light, March 20, 1983; John F. Schuessler, Physiological Effects from UFOs, p. 70).

May 23, 1975; Sedona, AZ
9:00 p.m. A dog and cat reacted with panic when a bottle-shaped silver UFO flew near a mountainside in Sedona. There were separate witnesses to the nocturnal fly by. (Source: APRO Bulletin, May-June 1976, p. 5).

June 3, 1976; Troy, MI 
9:55 p.m. Two people saw a disc-shaped object the color of silver or chrome moving nearby in the sky. They followed it in their car for some time as it changed directions and moved erratically about. They also heard unusual static on the car radio during the sighting. Eventually the object suddenly left very quickly and they could not keep pace with it. (Source: Mark Rodeghier, UFO Reports Involving Vehicle Interference, case 398, citing personal investigation).

June 5, 1976; Merced, CA 
11:30 p.m. A glowing cigar-shaped object hovered at a 40-degree angle over highway 140. It appeared to have windows. It then made erratic maneuvers in the sky. (Source: NICAP UFO Investigator, July 1976).

June 7, 1976; Cincinnati, OH
C2, one witness. (CUFOS, 9/76)

June 11, 1976; Le Martinet, Drome, France
Orange dome-shaped object hovered above road and over bridge, E-M effects on car; missing time, abduction (Ref. 1, Section XIII).

June 15, 1976; Strathmore, CA
Dog alerts to huge cigar then hides

June 22, 1976; Galdar, Canary Islands off W. Africa
10:30 p.m. Spherical object, transparent, huge, brightly luminous, no sound. Two human-like beings over 6' tall, flesh color, large bright eyes. Pointed wing-like appendages for hands. Brilliant red suits covered body, halo around heads. Object moved in, hovered, made 90-degree turns. Diameter varied greatly. Occupants visible inside object operating instrument panel. Object departed out to sea. (Bruno Molon CEIII study)

June or early July, 1976; Liberty, IN
7:20 a.m. Father driving girl student to school. Object sitting in sky somewhere beyond train that was passing. Grey-silver metallic bar bell shaped object with a few black places she thought were windows. In bar between the two balls was open space. Witness could not tell distance but got impression object was at least as large as a football field. One small tree obstructed view and in this brief interval the object vanished. K. Barlow (Worley files)

July 4, 1976; Bilbao, Spain
12:45 p.m. A huge disc-shaped object hovered for a long time over Bilbao, Spain. It flew back over the city and surrounding area several times, then made a ninety-degree turn and flew off toward the south. (Source: Larry Hatch, U computer database, case 11764).

July 4, 1976; Montrose, CA
Evening. From a multigenerational home, a grandmother and her granddaughter [age 9] were about to engage in their normal evening ritual: walking the dog. Upon reaching the end of the driveway, the granddaughter and the dog began to do their normal route, which was to turn right and walk down the sidewalk allowing the dog to do what a dog's got to do. But the grandmother had hesitated and was staring across the street at something that the child apparently could not see. See report. (Submitted by Mike XSwords).

July  5, 1976; Gitchie Manitou Park, IA
9:00 a.m. Two brothers, 8-year-old Andy and 6 year-old Joel Rygh were playing when they heard "strange noises followed by a grunting sound and then a whistle." When they looked in the direction of the noises they saw a seven-foot tall man standing behind a bush. He was wearing a shiny blue uniform. When the whistling sound became louder the boys ran to get their brothers Chris, age 11, and Tom, age 9. All four boys then saw a pulsating glowing domed object emerge from behind a large tree 50 yards away. The object was "about the size and shape of a large haystack." It hovered with a humming sound for five seconds, and then sped away. Small oak trees that the craft hovered over were later found defoliated. (Source: Pat Miller, Sioux Falls (SD) Argus-Leader, August 15, 1976).

July 16, 1976; Tokyo, Japan
About 6:30 p.m. Seven staff members of the National Police Agency criminal investigation section saw an unidentified object  that circled over the Imperial Palace, about 400 yards from the police building. The object circled at a low altitude for about 10 minutes, then flew out of sight. (Agence France-Presse story, Washington Post, July 18, 1976.)

July 18, 1976; Gravel Switch, KY
C2, no details. Witness: Gilpin (SRUFOS,242)

July 22, 1976; Central India
DC-10 encountered object with windows.

July 22, 1976; Germantown, WI
10:50 p.m. A hexagonal object with a flat bottom hovered over the highway. No color was noted, but it had 4-5 lights in front, with a green light on one end and a red on the other. It hovered for five minutes, and had a red flame coming from the bottom the entire time. (Source: CUFOS News Bulletin, September 1976, p. 6).

July 28, 1976; Nr. Winsted, CT
3:45 p.m. Fourteen boys and their camp counselor Mr. Leifer, from Camp Delaware, were hiking in the afternoon on Blueberry Mountain, three miles southwest of Winsted, Connecticut. The group was astonished to see a shiny, metallic domed disc hovering over their heads. It made a high-pitched whine like the feedback from a loudspeaker. They heard a second whine, accompanied by a high-speed vertical ascent, and within a few seconds the UFO had vanished by shooting straight up in the sky. (Source: International UFO Reporter, November 1976, p. 6).

July 30, 1976; Fort Ritchie, MD
0345 EDT. NMCC in Washington, DC put out this memo at 0545 EDT: 1. At approximately 0345 EDT, the ANMCC called to indicate they had received several reports of UFO's in the vicinity of Fort Richie. The following events summarize the reports (times are approximate) 0130 - Civilians reported a UFO sighting near Mt. Airy Md. This information was obtained via a call from the National Aeronautics Board (?) to Fort Richie Military Police. 0255 - Two separate patrols from Site R reported sighting 3 oblong objects with a reddish tint, moving east to west. Personnel were located at separate locations on top of the mountain at Site R.   0300 - Desk Sgt. at Site R went to the top of the Site R mountain and observed a UFO over the ammo storage area at 100-200 yards altitude. 0345 - An Army Police Sgt. on the way to work at Site R reported sighting a UFO in the vicinity of Site R. 2. ANMCC was requested to have each individual write a statement on the sightings. One individual stated the object was about the size of a 2 1/2 ton truck. (Actual FOIA document) 

July 30, 1976; Portugal
Evening. Three pilot crews from 3 different airlines observed and confirmed seeing an unidentified flying object as big as a battle ship after being alerted by Lisbon Air Traffic Control Center. The sighting, described by experts as the most important in the past decade, was also made by the crew of a British Tristar below the Trident and the pilot of a Portuguese airliner. All the stories tallied. Report and You Tube video linked below. (You Tube)

Aug. 6, 1976:Gaspesian Park, Quebec
Night. A husband, wife, and their two teenage sons while driving in the park in fog encounter craft and two humanoids. E-M effects. (Submitted by Mike Swords. Source: Joan Ferguson, Les Humanoides, Lemeac, Quebec, 1977; as repeated in Ted Bloecher's original HUMCAT files, CUFOS).

Aug. 10, 1976; 140 miles E of Vancouver, BC, Canada
A number of objects were observed at Penticton Tower. The objects had steady flashing green and red lights and were seen by civilians and members of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police. (Reference: Fawcett and Greenwood, Clear Intent, page 47)

Aug. 15, 1976; Connersville, IN
10:55 p.m. Object (repeat appearance three days later with artifact.), vacuum cleaner sound, 2.5 mins. Site of events was creek bed off Harrisburg road. Wife of rural family out in backyard notices wide band of white light in creek bed under trees. Family watches glowing white oval slowly rise up and fly away to the northeast where it assumed a dark oval shaped with white green and red lights revolving around its edge or middle. Wife saw hump on top. Lucas (Worley files)

Aug. 18, 1976; Central Florida
8:30 p.m. A family of four was traveling about 30 miles outside of Orlando, Florida. Suddenly they noticed a saucer-shaped craft appear at a very close altitude of approximately 1000 yards over their auto. The driver stopped his car and opened the windows to see the object more clearly. There was no sound emitting from the object. The driver of the car is an amateur pilot and is trained to observe and report accurately. All of the witnesses stated that the UFO appeared to have a dome-shaped red light on the top and white window-like lights around the saucer-shaped craft. Their CB radio broadcast nothing but static and because of this effect, they were unable to transmit or receive. The UFO was making movement and turns that would be impossible for conventional craft to perform. The family observed the phenomenon for about thirty minutes before losing sight of the craft behind the tree line. They drove directly to the nearest town and reported their experience to the local police. The officer told the witnesses that there had been several other reports describing similar craft. (Reference: UFO INVESTIGATOR, September 1976, page 2)

Aug.18, 1976; Fayette County, IN
11:15 p.m. Object, no sound, 2.5 mins., five witnesses. Lady, out shaking rug on porch and sees glow in creek bed. Family watches as object again (See Aug. 15) rises from same place near creek and take the same route into the sky and away. Father watched what he described as luminous ball through his 4-15 power scope on rifle. Father, who had been called , watched object en route to scene. Another witness phoned the radio station who had seen it. (Worley files)

Sept. 1, 1976; Missile M-1, MT
12:38 a.m. UFO described as two red lights on top, silver bottom. (UFO 105 NIDS)

Sept. 5, 1976; Cape Girardeau, MO
10:30 a.m. A fast-moving disc with dome was observed, vertical ascent. One witness. (Rutledge, PID,200)

Sept. 6, 1976; Port Austin, MI
G,V, AF radar & 5 UFOs.

Sept. 8, 1976; India 3 and India site, MT
10:03 p.m. White, triangular object with red lights. (UFO 107 NIDS)

Sept. 10, 1976; Colusa, CA
Low-hovering disc with dome, rotating rim and bright lights, power failure. Object moved away, shone beams of light down (Ref. 1, Section I).

Sept. 19, 1976; Teheran, Iran
A radar/visual sighting, the incident is particularly notable for the electromagnetic interference effects on aircraft near the UFO. Two F-4 jet interceptors independently lost instrumentation and communications as they approached, only to have these restored when they left. One F-4 also lost its weapons systems when it was about to fire on the object. (Ref. 1, Section II).

Oct. 1976, date unknown; Rigdon, IN
Abduction report. Two witnesses. Disc observed. Confidential report. (MUFON Indiana, Ridge files)

Oct. 7, 1976; Sir Eric Gairy Addresses UN
                           Prime Minister of Grenada, addressed the UN General Assembly urging recognition of UFOs as a serious international scientific problem.

Oct. 17, 1976: Akita Airport, Japan
Control tower and airline pilot on runway observed glowing disc like "two plates placed together" hovering to south; object then flew away (Ref. 1, Section III).

Oct. 21, 1976; Stockholm, Sweden
5:40 p.m. Several witnesses saw a glowing red circular object moving slowly south at an estimated 1500 meters altitude. Two rows of square windows were visible along the perimeter, and a white light beam shone upwards from the object. (Bertil Soderquist, MUFON representative in Sweden.)

Oct. 23, 1976; Winchester, MA
About 7:15 p.m. A couple driving saw a row of very bright rotating lights rising above the trees, then stopping and hovering. They stopped the car to investigate, and saw that the lights were on a dark, elongated object. The woman's sketch showed a domed disc with round lights encircling the base of the dome. After at least 5 minutes they terminated the observation, and as they started to leave the object began moving away to the south. (Walter N. Webb investigation report.)

Oct. 24, 1976; Hobling, France
10:30 p.m. A man driving home with his young daughter encountered two globes of light hovering near the highway. When he passed, the object (apparently dumbbell-shaped) followed and confronted him. What looked like a screen appeared between the globes and showed two humanoid silhouettes. The object followed him home and hovered nearby, where his wife also saw it. (Lumieres dans La Nuit No. 169, November 1977.)

Oct. 28, 1976; Evansville, IN
7:05 p.m. A close encounter case with six witnesses. Although a nocturnal sighting, the case has a high degree of strangeness, as can be deduced from the testimony of witness Lee Golden: "This is no hallucination. This thing came right over the top of the house (which was 50' from the witness), I'd say a hundred-150' over the top of the house. And it was rectangular on the top and it had a big light at the bottom. I couldn't see how the bottom was made, but it was totally noise proof, wasn't any noise at all." As it came over it appeared to be the size of an automobile and was gaining altitude and heading North. When it got higher up, something shot out from the bottom of it. Later on, something shot out from the side. The object had come from the South, headed North at low altitude (180-150'), then turned and headed NE, gained altitude and finally shrank to the size of a star. Duration: 15 minutes. Moved slowly at first, then seemed to stop, then moved quickly away and out of sight. See drawing. (Page 66, Regional Encounters: The FC Files, Fran Ridge)

Nov. 14, 1976; Kolsva and Aland Island, Sweden
Multiple sightings in the early evening, including a silver helmet-shaped (domed disc) object emitting yellow-red light from the underside hovering low above the treetops. Shortly afterwards the same or a similar object was observed hovering above the power plant for an hour, moving up and down. Three times the object emitted light beams into the woods, and after a while a smaller object appeared and hovered beneath the large object for 30 minutes. (Bertil Soderquist, MUFON representative in Sweden.)

Dec. 5, 1976; Sollefted, Sweden
2:30 p.m. Several witnesses observed an elongated object (estimated 45 meters long) with round openings along the fuselage.  A blue-green light shone from the openings, a red light at the front, and a diffuse orange glow from the underside. The object hovered above a military base built into the mountainside at an elevation of about 50 meters. After a while the object moved on and hovered above a nearby power station. Then it moved jerkily sideways, jumping rapidly between different positions....After hovering for 15 minutes, the object tilted up and rapidly sped upwards and out of sight, disappearing at 3:30 p.m.  (Bertil Soderquist, MUFON representative in Sweden.)

Dec. 14, 1976; Contrexeville, France
Radar case.

Dec. 18, 1976; Caribou County, ID
12:55 a.m. On Soda Springs Mountain Road, three police officers had a close encounter with a 30-foot diameter oval-shaped UFO. The object was devoid of seams or windows, and had the bulk of three to four cars. It emitted a light green light and hovered only 60 feet away from them. It made no sound when hovering, but made a whistling "wind" sound when in motion. (Sources: J. Allen Hynek Center for UFO Studies case investigations file, December 1976; International UFO Reporter, February 1977, p. 6).

Dec. 26, 1976; nr Whitehorse, Yukon Territory
6:30 PM. Prior to this time the ambulance service in Whitehorse received a call to rendezvous with an out-of-town ambulance and transfer a patient. The driver and attendant sped off on the Alcan highway towards Haines Junction. Sightings of strange object. Later the driver reported that as the UFO buzzed them several times on the way out, he had lost complete "control of the electrical system of the ambulance".  (Submitted by Mike Swords. Sources: RCMP report file on the incident [April 5, 1977] as sent to Thomas Busch [CUFOS files]; "Why the sick or dead?", Canadian UFO Report #26, Winter 1976/1977; and Janice Hamilton & Andrew Hume, "UFO Chases Ambulance", Whitehorse Yukon STAR, January 5, 1977).

Dec. 28, 1976; Toppenish Ridge [Yakima], WA
Evening. A ranch family [husband, wife, and child{age not given}] witnessed a bright white light moving off the nearby mountain towards their home. It settled between the house and the corral, which is several hundred yards away, but its exact distance couldn't be judged. It seemed the size of a large beachball. It hovered there sputtering and sending off sparks "like a fourth of July sparkler". Although generally staying in place, it "oscillated" back and forth in a horizontal plane, roughly. It remained in this mode for several minutes, during which time the family had a huge amount of static on their radio. The thing finally left the area, returning to the top of the mountain ridge by the route it had come. Everything seeming to have now returned to normal, the family ultimately turned in for the evening. The next morning, upon arising, the family discovered that all of their electric clocks were running three hours slow. Although several of their neighbors told them that they had seen an unusual light that evening, none of them experienced any electrical anomalies. (Submitted by Mike Swords. Source: Yakima Indian Reservation Incidence Report, W.J.Vogel, investigator, January 4, 1977. [J.Allen Hynek files, CUFOS]).


Official UFO Magazine article sometime in 1976 by Robert Barrow. (Official UFO Mag. Cover)

References:

1. Volume II, The UFO Evidence, A Thirty-Year Report - Richard Hall, 2000

2. CUFOS report, Rodeghier,

3. NUFORC, Reports gleaned from National UFO Reporting Center, Seattle, WA, Peter Davenport

4. AR Case (Animal Reaction [Category 4]; Joan Woodward, AR Specialist..

5. NIDS (National Institute for Discovery Science)