California, 1976: UAPSRS Case No. 2
| Country | United States |
| State or Province | California |
| City | Ridgecrest |
| Date | Feb. 1976 |
| Time | Early morning |
| Weather | Fair |
| Duration | 5-10 min |
| Witnesses (Number) | 2 |
| Distance | Directly above witnesses |
| Solid Object | Unknown |
| Size | Unknown |
| Shape | Unknown |
| Shape Details | Unknown |
| Metallic/Shiny | Unknown |
| Color | Unknown |
| Glow/Halo | Unknown |
| Lights | Unknown |
| How Many Lights | Unknown |
| How Bright | Unknown |
| Light Coloration | Unknown |
| Sound | Unknown |
| Motion/Speed | 700 mph |
| Number of Objects | 1 |
| Coordination/Communication | N/A |
| Windows | Unknown |
| Occupants | Unknown |
| Description | WITNESS ACCOUNT: In the mid to late ’70s, I was a radar operator in the 107th Tactical Control Squadron of the Arizona Air National Guard which was based in Phoenix. I believe it was February of 1976 that we went on our two week “summer camp” that year. We were a mobile unit. So we packed up all our equipment, and headed for Straw Peak which is in the desolate confines of China Lake Naval Weapons Center in California. One night, me and a staff sergeant from another Air Guard unit were assigned the overnight shift. Since nothing was scheduled that night, the sergeant didn’t see any sense in both of us staring at a blank scope, so he suggested we take turns, which was fine with me. He took first watch, so I laid my head on my console and shut my eyes. After about 15 minutes, he yelled “What the hell is that!” I sat up and looked at my scope. There was a raw target heading straight for us coming in the from the northeast. I flipped the IFF/SIF (Identification Friend or Foe/Selective Identification Feature) switch expecting to see a transponder code of some kind, but didn’t. I used my cursor to do a quick calculation of speed and figured it was flying about 700 MPH. The sergeant and I noticed that the object would occasionally drop off the scope. We speculated that it was flying close to the ground and we were losing it behind hills and rising terrain. We couldn’t determine its altitude because our height finder radar wasn’t in operation at that time. When the object got right above us, I ran outside to see if I could see anything in the sky. But with all our flood lights and diesel generators running, I couldn’t see or hear a thing. So I ran back in the radar hut, and watched the object fly back out following the same exact path it came in from. We had no idea what the object was, but were pretty confident it wasn’t any kind of known aircraft given that it lacked a transponder code, apparently flew low in mountainous terrain at night, and the fact that the area around China Lake is highly restrictive airspace. A day or two later, I shared this incident with my commanding officer Captain Hepburn. He shared with me that about the same day, he and Major Dixon had come out of the radar hut and had seen a glowing red ball of light hanging motionless in the sky not too far from our position. To my knowledge, neither their visual sighting nor mine and the sergeant’s radar sighting were ever sent up the chain of command. In any event, nothing was ever said to me afterwards. |
| Nearby Landmarks | China Lake Naval Weapons Center |
| Latitude | 35.6199596 |
| Longitude | -117.19255 |
| Altitude | Above 2,284 feet |
| Propulsion | Unknown |
| Advanced Capabilities | Unknown |
| Visible Payload | Unknown |
| Radar | Intermittent |
| Signatures | Radar |
| Awareness | None |
| Aggression | None |
| Health Effects | None |
| Physical/Environmental Effects | None |
| Animal Disturbance | None |
| Witness Feelings | N/A |
| Witness Assessment | Witness believed the object was a fast moving craft flying at low altitudes between mountain peaks, intermittently passing below radar propagation. Movements would have been too dangerous for any conventional manned object. |
| Additional Info | This is the second of three sightings this witness reported. |
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