Birmingham UFO Group Case Report
Author: Dave Hodrien
Release Date: 18/05/2013
Introduction
Back in 2011 I received details of a sighting from a man who used to be a police officer in Sudbury, Ontario. He reported that back in October 1965 while on active service he witnessed a glowing white UFO while on patrol one night. The case was very convincing and a detailed report was written up and published.
In April 2013 a man filled out a sighting report form via the BUFOG website to report a sighting he and his friend had experienced while they were children. The sighting also took place in Sudbury, only one month prior to the other sighting. It is extremely likely given the proxmity of both the location and the sighting dates that this was the same or a very similar object.
There are also two other sightings from Michigan, the state just south of Ontario, which happened in October 1965. While these may not necessarily have been directly related, this possibility still exists. Links to both the other reports can be found towards the end of this one.
Sighting Details
It was between 4.30 and 5pm on a Sunday in September 1965. Mike and his friend Helen (who were 11 years old at the time) were playing outside on Old Highway 69 in Greater Sudbury, Ontario. The area is on the fringe of the city and is quite rural and sparsely populated. It was a clear and calm afternoon and there was nobody else around at the time. Mike and Helen were throwing a paint can lid back and forth to each other like a Frisbee. It went down a small gulley, so they went to retrieve it to continue their game.
Aerial map of Old Highway 69 showing approximate location of sighting:
Aerial map showing how far out from the main city of Sudbury the sighting location was:
Modern photograph of how the location looks today:
Looking up into the sky they suddenly noticed a large object in the sky to the East. It was cigar-shaped and appeared to be bright metallic white in colour. It was so brilliant that it appeared to be glowing. It is possible this was due to sunlight reflecting off its surface, although Mike does not think this was the case. It appeared to be about 30-50 feet in length and 15-20 feet in depth. The object was about a mile from their location and at quite low altitude. Mike estimates it was about 150 feet high. It was moving slowly, between 5-10 mph, in a North Easterly direction.
Mike’s drawing of the UFO:
The children were amazed at what they were observing. It was clear that the object had no wings, tail or other visible attachments. They watched it travel slowly across the sky. Then suddenly without warning the object massively increased in velocity and flew away at an incredible speed, crossing the horizon in a couple of seconds! Mike and Helen looked at each other wide eyed in shock. They then ran home to excitedly tell Helen’s mother what they had witnessed.
When they told her what they had seen, she took a loaf of bread out of the oven and said “Oh well, I guess the moon men are coming.” Mike felt confused that she wasn't taking what he had said seriously, so ran home to tell his own parents. He had trouble in understanding why they did not share his sense of excitement.
The following day at school Mike put his hand up and told the class about the sighting. They all laughed at him. After this he did not talk about it much more. The reactions of both the parents and his school friends show that even back in the 1960s many people had an unwillingness to believe in UFOs, which is sadly still the case today.
Sightings Overview
This is a very convincing UFO sighting, and one which I feel was certainly a genuine craft. The object was clearly not an aircraft. At the distance and altitude it was seen at the wings and tail would certainly have been visible. If it wasn't for the stunning manoeuvres the object was seen to perform there is the chance that it could have been a white coloured blimp. However the instant acceleration to an extremely fast speed shows that it was something highly unusual and definitely not an inflatable, powered or otherwise. Due to the fact that the object was moving slowly at first for over a minute, it could not have been a daytime meteorite entering the atmosphere.
As it was daylight there is certainly the possibility that the UFO was observed by other people. However Mike says that the area was quite rural so not many people were about, at least in his location. Sadly Mike has not kept in touch with Helen and has not spoken to her in over 40 years, so I am unable to speak to her about what she remembers. However this is still a very impressive sighting, and through the correspondence I have shared with Mike I am convinced that it took place as he has reported.
Other Possible Sightings
As mentioned at the start of this report, another sighting of a glowing white UFO occurred in Sudbury within a month of this one. Due to the appearance of the craft and manoeuvres observed it is extremely likely to be the same or a similar object. There is a seperate case report on this incident.
The report on two UFO sightings which occurred in Michigan in October 1965 again has a seperate case report. While the appearance was not exactly the same they may still be related.
Copyright Dave Hodrien 2013