Sperry UFO case
Encyclopedia
The Sperry UFO case was a sighting of an Unidentified Flying Object
by the captain, Willis Sperry, and other crew of an American Airlines
DC-6 airborne near Mount Vernon, Maryland
on 29 May 1950.
Media exposure of the case helped to establish a popular perception of UFOs being reported by "credible" witnesses such as airline pilots; Sperry was interviewed for several newspapers and was later featured in Clarence Greene
's 1956 semi-documentary film Unidentifed Flying Objects: The true story of flying saucers.
at 9:10 pm EST
on a flight to Nashville
and was climbing to 20,000 ft. Weather conditions were clear, with the ground obscured by haze, and a full moon around 25° above the horizon. At approximately 9:30pm, seven miles west of Mount Vernon, copilot W. Gates alerted Sperry to a bright blue or bluish light ahead of them and increasing in size. In a letter to Flying
magazine several months later, Sperry described the light as "a brilliant, diffused, bluish light of fluorescent
type [...] 25 times the magnitude
of the brightest star". To avert a possible collision, Sperry banked the aircraft and changed course 45° to the right; the light appeared to stop before changing course to parallel the aircraft on the left.
During this period the light very briefly passed between the aircraft and the upper part of the moon, revealing an object with a long silhouette (somewhat reminiscent of a submarine
) without visible wings or empennage
. In his 1950 letter, Sperry stated the blue light was on the front of the object, which was also seen by the copilot and by flight engineer R. Arnholt.
The object having appeared to pass behind the left wing, the pilots banked to the left and resumed their previous course, but Gates spotted the light again through the right window "as though it had circled behind them". The light then appeared to head eastwards behind the aircraft, and was observed again by Sperry towards the rear left travelling in the direction of the Atlantic; he estimated the total time of observation as around one minute, during which time the light had appeared to be completely stationary at least twice.
Sperry reported his observations to Washington control tower, but they had observed nothing on radar
. He also spoke to his passengers, stating that one man had seen an "extremely bright light passing the left side of the ship".
, Gorman Dogfight
and others considered unexplained at the time), Sperry was also interviewed by KABC-TV
in 1964. He and Arnholt were further interviewed in 1968 by the prominent ufologist Dr James E. McDonald
.
Sperry later learned that Hank Myers, subsequently pilot of President Harry S. Truman
's plane, had been piloting another Washington-bound AAA aircraft between Nashville
and Knoxville on the same night, and had witnessed a bright meteor
which fell eastward from the zenith, but which then appeared to move horizontally for several seconds. Comparing times and the relative position of his aircraft with that of Myers, Sperry felt that this was possibly the same phenomenon or object as he saw. Both he and Gates, the copilot, had however "emphatically discounted" the possibility of the phenomenon being a meteor, due to its movements.
Unidentified flying object
A term originally coined by the military, an unidentified flying object is an unusual apparent anomaly in the sky that is not readily identifiable to the observer as any known object...
by the captain, Willis Sperry, and other crew of an American Airlines
American Airlines
American Airlines, Inc. is the world's fourth-largest airline in passenger miles transported and operating revenues. American Airlines is a subsidiary of the AMR Corporation and is headquartered in Fort Worth, Texas adjacent to its largest hub at Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport...
DC-6 airborne near Mount Vernon, Maryland
Mount Vernon, Maryland
Mount Vernon is a census-designated place in Somerset County, Maryland, United States. The population was 761 at the 2000 census. It is included in the Salisbury, Maryland Metropolitan Statistical Area.-Geography:...
on 29 May 1950.
Media exposure of the case helped to establish a popular perception of UFOs being reported by "credible" witnesses such as airline pilots; Sperry was interviewed for several newspapers and was later featured in Clarence Greene
Clarence Greene
Clarence Greene was an American screenwriter and film producer who is noted for the "offbeat creativity and originality of his screenplays and for film noir movies and television episodes produced in the 1950s.-Career:...
's 1956 semi-documentary film Unidentifed Flying Objects: The true story of flying saucers.
The sighting
Sperry's aircraft had left Washington AirportRonald Reagan Washington National Airport
Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport is a public airport located south of downtown Washington, D.C., in Arlington County, Virginia. It is the commercial airport nearest to Washington, D.C. For many decades, it was called Washington National Airport, but this airport was renamed in 1998 to...
at 9:10 pm EST
Eastern Standard Time
Eastern Standard Time may refer to:*North American Eastern Time Zone, UTC-5*Australian Eastern Standard Time, UTC+10*An album by Hip Hop group Kooley High...
on a flight to Nashville
Nashville, Tennessee
Nashville is the capital of the U.S. state of Tennessee and the county seat of Davidson County. It is located on the Cumberland River in Davidson County, in the north-central part of the state. The city is a center for the health care, publishing, banking and transportation industries, and is home...
and was climbing to 20,000 ft. Weather conditions were clear, with the ground obscured by haze, and a full moon around 25° above the horizon. At approximately 9:30pm, seven miles west of Mount Vernon, copilot W. Gates alerted Sperry to a bright blue or bluish light ahead of them and increasing in size. In a letter to Flying
Flying (magazine)
Flying is an aviation magazine published since 1927 . It is read by pilots, aircraft owners, and aviation-oriented executives in business and general aviation markets worldwide....
magazine several months later, Sperry described the light as "a brilliant, diffused, bluish light of fluorescent
Fluorescent lamp
A fluorescent lamp or fluorescent tube is a gas-discharge lamp that uses electricity to excite mercury vapor. The excited mercury atoms produce short-wave ultraviolet light that then causes a phosphor to fluoresce, producing visible light. A fluorescent lamp converts electrical power into useful...
type [...] 25 times the magnitude
Apparent magnitude
The apparent magnitude of a celestial body is a measure of its brightness as seen by an observer on Earth, adjusted to the value it would have in the absence of the atmosphere...
of the brightest star". To avert a possible collision, Sperry banked the aircraft and changed course 45° to the right; the light appeared to stop before changing course to parallel the aircraft on the left.
During this period the light very briefly passed between the aircraft and the upper part of the moon, revealing an object with a long silhouette (somewhat reminiscent of a submarine
Submarine
A submarine is a watercraft capable of independent operation below the surface of the water. It differs from a submersible, which has more limited underwater capability...
) without visible wings or empennage
Empennage
The empennage , also known as the tail or tail assembly, of most aircraft gives stability to the aircraft, in a similar way to the feathers on an arrow...
. In his 1950 letter, Sperry stated the blue light was on the front of the object, which was also seen by the copilot and by flight engineer R. Arnholt.
The object having appeared to pass behind the left wing, the pilots banked to the left and resumed their previous course, but Gates spotted the light again through the right window "as though it had circled behind them". The light then appeared to head eastwards behind the aircraft, and was observed again by Sperry towards the rear left travelling in the direction of the Atlantic; he estimated the total time of observation as around one minute, during which time the light had appeared to be completely stationary at least twice.
Sperry reported his observations to Washington control tower, but they had observed nothing on radar
Radar
Radar is an object-detection system which uses radio waves to determine the range, altitude, direction, or speed of objects. It can be used to detect aircraft, ships, spacecraft, guided missiles, motor vehicles, weather formations, and terrain. The radar dish or antenna transmits pulses of radio...
. He also spoke to his passengers, stating that one man had seen an "extremely bright light passing the left side of the ship".
Later interviews
Apart from newspaper interviews immediately following the sighting, the press having been notified by control tower staff, and his appearance in the 1956 film (where the case was featured alongside the Mantell IncidentMantell Incident
The Mantell UFO incident was among the most publicized early UFO reports. The incident resulted in the crash and death of 25-year-old Kentucky Air National Guard pilot, Captain Thomas F. Mantell, on January 7, 1948, while in pursuit of a supposed UFO....
, Gorman Dogfight
Gorman Dogfight
The Gorman UFO Dogfight was a widely-publicized UFO incident. It occurred on October 1, 1948 in the skies over Fargo, North Dakota, and involved George F. Gorman, a pilot with the North Dakota National Guard. In 1956, USAF Captain Edward J...
and others considered unexplained at the time), Sperry was also interviewed by KABC-TV
KABC-TV
KABC-TV, channel 7, is an owned-and-operated television station of the Walt Disney Company-owned American Broadcasting Company, licensed to Los Angeles, California. KABC-TV's studios are located in Glendale, California...
in 1964. He and Arnholt were further interviewed in 1968 by the prominent ufologist Dr James E. McDonald
James E. McDonald
James Edward McDonald was an American physicist. He is best known for his research regarding UFOs. McDonald was senior physicist at the Institute for Atmospheric Physics and professor in the Department of Meteorology, University of Arizona, Tucson.McDonald campaigned vigorously in support of...
.
Sperry later learned that Hank Myers, subsequently pilot of President Harry S. Truman
Harry S. Truman
Harry S. Truman was the 33rd President of the United States . As President Franklin D. Roosevelt's third vice president and the 34th Vice President of the United States , he succeeded to the presidency on April 12, 1945, when President Roosevelt died less than three months after beginning his...
's plane, had been piloting another Washington-bound AAA aircraft between Nashville
Nashville, Tennessee
Nashville is the capital of the U.S. state of Tennessee and the county seat of Davidson County. It is located on the Cumberland River in Davidson County, in the north-central part of the state. The city is a center for the health care, publishing, banking and transportation industries, and is home...
and Knoxville on the same night, and had witnessed a bright meteor
METEOR
METEOR is a metric for the evaluation of machine translation output. The metric is based on the harmonic mean of unigram precision and recall, with recall weighted higher than precision...
which fell eastward from the zenith, but which then appeared to move horizontally for several seconds. Comparing times and the relative position of his aircraft with that of Myers, Sperry felt that this was possibly the same phenomenon or object as he saw. Both he and Gates, the copilot, had however "emphatically discounted" the possibility of the phenomenon being a meteor, due to its movements.
See also
- Edward J. RuppeltEdward J. RuppeltEdward J. Ruppelt was a United States Air Force officer probably best-known for his involvement in Project Blue Book, a formal governmental study of unidentified flying objects...
- The case bears some surface resemblance to the Chiles-Whitted UFO EncounterChiles-Whitted UFO EncounterThe Chiles-Whitted UFO Encounter occurred on July 24, 1948 when two American commercial pilots reported that their Douglas DC-3 had nearly collided with a strange torpedo shaped object flying near them....
, an incident which had a strong influence on the development of popular perceptions of UFOs.