Birmingham UFO Group Case Report
Author: Dave Hodrien
Release Date: 12/04/2016
Most UFO cases involve a singular sighting of one or more objects that are very rarely seen again in the same location. However every so often repeated incidents occur where it appears the same UFO has returned to a particular area. This report covers one such case, where incredibly the same object was seen in the same area by an individual on two different occasions.
October 1981 Sighting
On a Tuesday evening in October 1981 Malcolm (who was 35 at the time) headed out to Tylorstown Rugby Club on Penryhs Road for a drink with his friend John. They left the club about 8pm. It was a clear still evening, and due to the time of year it was already dark, and the stars were visible in the sky.
Photograph of Tylorstown Rugby Club:
Aerial map of Tylorstown Rugby Club:
As they exited the club, Malcolm noticed a glowing light in the sky to the West at a 45 degree angle over the top of the treeline. It appeared larger than a star and was glowing bright white. Suddenly the object darted across the sky before coming to a halt again. Malcolm drew John’s attention to the light and they watched as it started zig-zagging back and forth across the sky, moving fast before halting then reversing direction.
This went on for about 10-15 seconds, after which the object suddenly shot away to the North at extreme speed and was lost from sight. The men were amazed at what they had seen. The light did not return so they had no choice but to continue walking home.
October 1982 Sighting
The following year, again on a Tuesday evening in October, Malcolm took his son Lyndon rugby training at Ystrad Rugby Club, which is based at Rhondda Sports Centre on Tyntyla Road, Ystrad, about a mile to the West of Tylorstown Rugby Club.
Photograph of Rhondda Sports Centre:
Aerial map of Rhondda Sports Centre:
Aerial map showing the locations of Tylorstown Rugby Club (A) and Ystrad Rugby Club (B):
Again it was a pleasant evening. After training was over Malcolm and Lyndon exited the club and Lyndon remarked “Hey look at that up there!” Looking up Malcolm was amazed to see what appeared to be the same object he had seen the previous year – a bright white glowing light quickly zig sagging back and forth. This time it was to the East of their location, in roughly the same area of sky that it had been before.
As with the first sighting, the witnesses observed the object for a number of seconds. However on this occasion instead of flying away horizontally, Malcolm reports that it suddenly shot straight upwards and within a second was no longer visible. After it had gone he informed Lyndon about seeing the object on the previous year. They were both astounded that the object had seemingly reappeared.
Son’s Testimony
Unfortunately Malcolm is no longer in touch with John so I cannot speak with him about what happened in 1981. However Malcolm did pass on his son’s phone number, so I got in touch soon after speaking with him. Below is Lyndon’s direct testimony of what took place during the second sighting:
“I can still remember it quite well. We were at training at Ystrad rugby club. We left the club and I looked up in the sky and saw this light. It was a long way away like a dot. This thing shot across the sky and stopped dead. It went one way, then the other way a few times, and then shot off. It just disappeared, it was gone in a flash. It moved in ways things don't generally move in. For it to move that fast and stop that fast was unbelievable. We watched it for at most a minute. Afterwards my father told me about his previous sighting. He said he saw exactly the same thing around the same time of year. He was with another guy then, his friend John.”
Sightings Analysis
With both of these sightings the most impressive aspect is the manoeuvres the object was seen to perform. Glowing lights seen after dark can often be explained away as a variety of mundane objects including helicopters/aircraft, LED balloons, Chinese lanterns and drones/radio controlled models. The object was clearly present on both occasions as it was observed by two people each time, so could not have been down to personal perspective.
As the objects were zig-zagging back and forth, and stopping then moving abruptly, they certainly appeared to be under control rather than drifting. It was a still night so they would not have been moved by air currents at the velocity observed. They were the wrong colour for Chinese lanterns, and neither lanterns nor LED balloons were publically available back in the early 1980s.
The speed of movement was too fast for the objects to have been distant helicopters. If these were modern sightings, a fast paced drone could have possibly been an explanation, but drones have only been available in recent years. The lights could not have been caused by laser pointers as it was a clear night so there was no cloud for the laser to be reflected off. There are also no nightclubs in or near to Tylorstown.
With these alternative explanations discounted, there is certainly the possibility that these sightings were of advanced, possibly extra-terrestrial, craft under intelligent control. If so then it is truly fascinating that they were observed on two separate occasions in the same location by the same key witness in the presence of other witnesses. It is also interesting that the two sightings were around the same time of year. Were the two sightings of the same object, and if so what was it doing in the area on these multiple occasions? Perhaps it has been seen at other times by other witnesses too, and Malcolm was lucky enough to have observed it twice. Or maybe it was appearing on purpose and deciding for whatever reason to reveal itself to Malcolm on these evenings. Either way, these sightings have remained in Malcolm’s thoughts ever since, hence the reason why he has finally decided to come forward with this information. I would like to thank both him and his son for sharing their experiences.
Copyright Dave Hodrien 2016
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