A Narrative Of Ufo Events At Minot Air F

A Narrative of UFO Events at Minot Air F orce Base, North Dakota Thomas Tulien Sign Oral History Project www.minotb52ufo.com In the early morning hours of 24 October 1968, United States Air Force (USAF) maintenance and security personnel stationed within the Minuteman, Intercontinental Ballistic Missile (ICBM) complex surrounding Minot AFB, North Dakota, observed oneand at timestwo similar UFOs. The Minot Base Operations dispatcher initiated radio communications with personnel reporting in the field, Minot, Radar Approach Control (RAPCON), and the crew of a returning B-52H aircraft. RAPCON alerted the pilots to the location of a UFO, which the B-52 navigator observed on the radarscope at co-altitude maintaining a three-mile distance throughout a standard 180 turnaround. As the B-52 started its descent back to Minot AFB, the UFO appeared to close distance to one mile at a high-rate of speed, pacing the aircraft for nearly 20 miles before disappearing off the radarscope. Both B-52 UHF radios would not transmit during the close radar encounter with the UFO and radarscope film was recorded. Shortly afterwards, RAPCON provided vectors for the B-52 to overfly a stationary UFO on or near the ground. After turning onto the downwind leg of the traffic pattern, the pilots observed a large, illuminated UFO ahead of the aircraft for several minutes, before turning onto the base leg over the UFO while observing it at close range. After the B-52 landed, both outer and inner-zone intrusions alarms were activated at the remote missile Launch Facility Oscar-7. The duration of reported observations was over three hours (2:15-5:34 am). USAF Strategic Air Command, Offutt AFB, Nebraska, initiated inquiries. In the weeks following, staff at USAF Project Blue Book, Wright-Patterson AFB, Ohio, completed a final case report mandated by Air Force Regulation 80-17. INTRODUCTION A Boeing B-52H Stratofortress on the runway at Minot AFB. For more than 50 years, the B-52 has been the backbone of the U.S. manned strategic bomber force, and is expected to remain in service until at least 2040 nearly 90 years after its first flight. [Click on all images for enlargements and alternate images]. As an unidentified flying object, the UFO presents a particular challenge to scientific authority. Observations are random, often transitory or difficult to grasp objectively, and may even appear to exceed known technological capabilities. Lacking an acceptable theory to explain how UFOs can do what they are repeatedly observed to do, the phenomenon is broadly relegated to popular myth, while the study of individual cases after the fact can only tell us that some UFOs defy conventional explanations. Folklorist Thomas Bullard explains: See: UAP in the UK Air Defence Region: Executive Summary, 15 May 2006, p. 4. UFOs as experiential phenomenon and UFOs as popular cultural myth entangle in a knot of confusion. I suspect that this entanglement stands as one of the greatest impediments to understanding the nature of UFOs, and scientific acceptance as a subject worthy of serious attention. A historical perspective offers a grip on the end of the string, a chance to untangle the mess to some degree. In this regard, the 24 October 1968, Minot AFB UFO case offers exceptional opportunity to untangle the myth, particularly given the extent of the primary documentation, including the B-52 radarscope photographs that provide quantifiable data sets, and independent testimonial evidence. According to astrophysicist Bernard Haisch, To look at the evidence and go away unconvinced is one thing. To not look at the evidence and be convinced against it nonetheless is another. This [www.minotb52ufo.com website] was created to provide readers an opportunity to examine all of the available evidence of the 24 October 1968, Minot AFB UFO events, in order to determine for oneself whether it is convincing. Background In 1968, Strategic Air Command (SAC) was the operational establishment of the United States Air Force, responsible for the bomber-based and ballistic missile-based strategic nuclear arsenal. Minot AFB, located in the northwestern part of North Dakota, was a principal SAC dual-wing base. The two wings headquartered at Minot included the 5 Bombardment Wing, with 15 B-52H Stratofortress strategic bombers capable of delivering nuclear and conventional ordinance worldwide; and the 91 Strategic Missile Wing, responsible for 150 Minuteman, Intercontinental Ballistic Missiles (ICBMs) housed in underground Launch Facilities scattered across an area of more than 8,500 square miles. Today both wings continue operations under the major command of the Air Force Global Strike Command. Personal communication with author. See: Thomas E. Bullard, "UFOs: Lost in the Myths," in UFOs and Abductions: Challenging the Borders of Knowledge, ed. David M. Jacobs (University Press of Kansas, 2000), 141-191. https://www.minot.af.mil/About-Us/Fact-Sheets/ Typical unmanned Minuteman missile Launch Facility. An ace in the hole. By April 1967, 1,000 Minuteman missiles were emplaced and operational at six sites in seven states. Prior to launch, the 20-ton Launcher Closer covering the missile was blown open with explosive charges. Entry to the lower equipment rooms surrounding the missile was through the Personnel Access Hatch. The separate Launch Support Building housed electrical equipment, a standby diesel generator, and brine chiller that provided temperature and humidity-controlled air to the launcher. For panoramic views of Launch Facilities at Ellsworth AFB, SD, see: Minuteman Missile National Historic Site. A Brief Summary of UFO Events 1. Initial ground-visual Observations Early in the morning of 24 October 1968, Oscar-Flight Security Controller Staff Sgt. William Smith received a report from a security Camper Team posted at the Launch Facility (LF) designated Oscar-6 (O-6). According to Smith, the team was providing aboveground security for The ABC News two-hour primetime special, Peter Jennings Reporting: UFOsSeeing Is Believing, was initially broadcast in February 2005. A segment of the special features the American history of the UFO phenomenon, including a four-and-a-half- minute expos of the 24 October 1968, Minot AFB case. Available from: https://minotb52ufo.com/media/jennings-abc- documentary.mp4 a Target Alignment Team working underground in the missile silo when they observed a large glowing object that "went down by some trees not far away." Shortly after, at 2:30 a.m., a missile maintenance team of Airman First Class Robert O'Connor and A1C Lloyd Isley were en route to the November-7 (N-7) Launch Facility when they reported an unusual light in the east to Base Operations. The strange light rose up and appeared to be pacing their vehicle while growing brighter. By the time they arrived at N-7, the bright UFO had taken up a position circling to the In response, the Minot, Base Operations dispatcher patched in the observers at N-7 with the ground controllers at Radar Approach Control (RAPCON) establishing an open-line for reporting, and kept a log of the UFO activity over the next two hours. Soon, Flight Security Controllers (FSC) the officers responsible for the security requirements at the Launch Control Facilities (LCF) were also reporting sightings via their separate communications network linked to missile Wing Security Control (WSC). In one instance, security personnel at three of the LCFs similarly described the object separate in two parts and go in opposite directions and return and pass under each other. In another rather enigmatic report, a FSC reported that an object which looked to him as the sun came near the hardened antenna within the security fencing of his LCF. It then moved away and he dispatched his two-man Security Alert Team (SAT), who followed the object to within a half-mile of where it appeared to be landing. When the object reached the ground, the light dimmed and extinguished. After this, they could see nothing. Independent reports of record by as many as twenty-one military personnel mutually describe a very large, brightly illuminated aerial object that would alternate colors from brilliant white to amber and green, with an ability to hover, accelerate rapidly and abruptly change direction. Smith, William, Jr., 2001b. Transcript of interview by Thomas Tulien and Jim Klotz, 25 August (Sign Oral History Project), Isley, Lloyd M., Air Force Form 117 (AF-117), Sighting of Unidentified Phenomena Questionnaire, 28 October 1968, 9; and, O'Connor, Robert M., Air Force Form 117 (AF-117), Sighting of Unidentified Phenomena Questionnaire, 28 October Wing Security Controller's summary. The controller identified N-1 as the location of this event; however, November FSC SSgt. Bond did not recall the event during our interview. He stated: "It might have been at another site that they were talking about . . . it wasn't anywhere near the antenna, didn't come near my LCF. Just didn't happen." See: Bond, James, 2005. Transcript of interview by Thomas Tulien, 26 February (Sign Oral History Project), 20-23. Basic Reporting Data and Format [Telex], 290428Z OCT 68, SUBJ: UFO REPORT, 1-2. Locations of 16 ground observers within the missile complex surrounding Minot AFB. The Strategic Missile Wing comprised the 740 Strategic Missile Squadrons, each responsible for 50 Minuteman missiles. Each Launch Control Facility (and underground Launch Control Center) are responsible for 10 missile Launch Facilities. 2. B-52 Air-radar Observations At about 3:00 a.m., a B-52H Stratofortress returned to Minot AFB from a routine 10-hour training mission. The pilots practiced high-altitude instrumented procedures and approaches to the runway, eventually requesting clearance to fly out to the Tactical Air Navigation (TACAN) initial approach fix (WT fix), 35 nautical miles northwest of the airbase. Given clearance to Flight Level 200 (20,000 feet altitude), RAPCON ground controllers then asked the crew to look out toward your 1:00 [one oclock] position for the next 15 or 16 miles and see if you see any orange glows out there. Somebody is seeing flying saucers again. Transcription of Recorded Conversations, Transcript of tape for 24 Oct 68, 0830-0915, 0835. The UFO observations occurred from 2:15 until 5:34 a.m. (CDT), for 3 hours and 19 minutes. Daylight Saving Time ended on Sunday, 27 October. See also: Discrepancies and Omissions in the Transcription of Recorded Conversations, 24 October 1968. Partial scan of Minot AFB investigating officer Colonel Werlichs Overlay Map showing the flight track of the B-52, including the 180-degree turnaround back over the WT fix (black circle). Relative positions of the UFO are in red; and the blue section (Radar Film Area) is Werlichs estimate of the location of the B-52 when the 14 radarscope photographs were exposed (Werlich Overlay Map). The B-52 crew observed nothing out of the ordinary during the flight out. Approaching the WT fix, they initiated a standard 180-degree turnaround that would eventually bring them back over the WT fix on a straight approach to the runway. At 3:52, as they started the wide turn, ground controllers informed the crew the UFO is being picked up by the weathers [sic] radar also, should be your 1:00 position 3 miles now. The B-52s own radar detected the radar return (UFO) co-altitude at three miles away, sparking air safety concerns among the crew. However, as the B-52 banked around the roughly 6-mile diameter turn the UFO maintained a constant 3-mile separation, moving to the northeast outside of the turn radius and to the left of the B-52 as it finally rolled out. Upon clearing the WT fix to begin the descent back to the runway, the radar return suddenly changed position. In one sweep of the radar less than three seconds the UFO appeared to close distance to one mile, while subsequent sweeps would indicate that the return was matching Transcription, 0852Z. the forward velocity of the B-52. The seemingly phenomenal and instantaneous movement of the UFO startled B-52 navigator Captain Patrick McCaslin: I knew whatever it was that there was something there that Id never seen on radar. I dont know of anything that could go laterally in three seconds, two miles, and just stop. It was maintaining our descent rate, and then just laterally to one mile... perfect formation. At the same instant as the returns abrupt change of position, the B-52s two UHF radios ceased transmission on all frequencies with RAPCON. The UFO continued pacing the aircraft off the left wing for nearly 20 miles. Near the end of the descent trajectory, the radarscope camera filmed the UFO as it appeared to spiral around behind the B- 52, after which the radar return disappeared and radio communications returned to normal. 3. B-52 Air-visual Observations Following the inexplicable radar encounter, the B-52 pilots practiced a missed approach to the runway and were vectored back around to land. However, on final approach to the runway a General officer radioed a request not to land, but to continue around in order to fly over and photograph the object if possible. Accordingly, RAPCON controllers vectored the B-52 once again onto the traffic pattern to the location of a stationary UFO on or near the ground, roughly 16 miles north-northwest of the airbase. Immediately after turning onto the downwind leg of the pattern, both pilots observed an illuminated object more than 10 miles ahead of the aircraft. The non-crew pilot Major James Partin compared the UFO to a miniature sun placed on the ground below the aircraft. McCaslin, Patrick D., 2001. Transcript of interview by Thomas Tulien, 25 February (Sign Oral History Project), 19. Each scan (35mm frame/photo) is a 3-second time-exposure synchronized to one complete rotation of the radar. Transcription, 0858-0402Z. Runyon, Bradford, Jr., 2000. Transcript of interview by Thomas Tulien and Jan Aldrich, 5 May (Sign Oral History Project), 11. Partin, James, Air Force Form 117 (AF-117), Sighting of Unidentified Phenomena Questionnaire, 30 October 1968, 7. Partin was not a regular crewmember, rather onboard this particular mission receiving routine flight evaluation by the aircraft commander, Capt. Don Cagle, in accordance with the standardization and evaluation (STANEVAL) program. Partial scan of Minot AFB investigating officer Col. Werlichs Overlay Map showing the flight track of the B-52 around the first traffic pattern. Werlich did not plot the second extended go-around when the pilots observed and overflew the UFO. Nevertheless, he indicates the location of the B-52 during the pilots first visual sighting following the turn onto the downwind leg of the pattern, and probable area of aircrew ground sighting in the rectangular box (Werlich Overlay Map). Upon reaching the object the B-52 flew alongside and executed a left turn over and around it. As the B-52 banked over the object, copilot Capt. Bradford Runyon was able to observe the UFO through the pilots window as it passed beneath the aircraft. He described a huge egg-shaped object with a surface that appeared to give off a dull reddish color like molten steel. As they began the turn, he noticed a smooth metallic tubular section extending horizontally from the long-end of the elliptical object, connecting to the mid-point of a curved crescent-shaped protuberance, not unlike a bumper. This section encompassed the width of the body and emanated a greenish-yellow glow from its interior back, illuminating the tubular section and the front of the egg-shaped main body of the object. Once again, their radios would not transmit during the very close approach. Runyon, Bradford, Jr., 2005. Transcript of interview by Thomas Tulien, 25 February (Sign Oral History Project), 15-16, 18; and, Runyon 2000, 14. Capt. Brad Runyon's drawing of the UFO dated 28 November 2000. The B-52 was at a standard altitude of 3200 MSL, or roughly 1500 feet above the ground. Runyon cautiously estimated the size of the UFO as being 200 feet in length, 100 feet in width, and 50 feet in height. The B-52 turned left onto the base leg of the traffic pattern and lost sight of the UFO. They continued around to the runway at Minot AFB and came to a terminal landing at 4:40 a.m. At 4:49, both the outer and inner-zone security alarms sounded at the missile Launch Facility Oscar-7, and SSgt. Smith immediately dispatched his Security Alert Team to investigate. The team discovered the front gate unpadlocked, and an access hatch on site standing open, but no other evidence of intruders. In the meantime, November security personnel continued reporting a UFO west of N-7, until the light gradually diminished around 5:30. Investigations Following the early morning events Strategic Air Command commenced investigations. Later in the afternoon, Minot AFB investigating officer Col. Werlich notified Project Blue Book in the Foreign Technology Division at Wright-Patterson AFB, Ohio, per Air Force Regulation 80-17. Over the next couple days, six of the ground observers completed the Air Force Form 117 Sighting of Unidentified Phenomena Questionnaire (AF-117). Although Maj. Partin completed an AF-117 the following week, Blue Book investigators did not interview the B-52 crewmembers during the official investigation. Not until recently have they publicly discussed their experiences. Given their clearances and responsibilities, Capt. Runyon understood at the time they were not to discuss the matter. Aware that the Air Force was engaged in an ongoing investigation of the UFO phenomenon, he naturally assumed that conclusions would eventually be available to the public. However, over 30 years later, still lacking any explanation for what they had observed that morning, Runyons curiosity led him to contact the J. Allen Hynek, Center for UFO Studies (CUFOS) in Chicago, and complete a UFO Sighting Questionnaire regarding his experience. Documentary Evidence Based on Runyons sighting report we initiated a search for documentation pertaining to the 24 October 1968 Minot AFB UFO case, and were fortunate to discover 145 pages of primary documents in the declassified operational files of Project Blue Book. All of the documents are available in the DOCUMENTATION section of the website. In order to provide a sense of the