California, 1977: UAPSRS Case No. 3
| Country | United States |
| State or Province | California |
| City | Big Bear Lake |
| Date | Summer 1977 |
| Time | Late Evening/Early Morning |
| Weather | Fair, night |
| Duration | 12-15 min |
| Solid Object | Yes |
| Size | Unknown |
| Shape | Triangular |
| Shape Details | Glowing white triangular object pointing straight up. Did not appear to be a cone. |
| Metallic/Shiny | No |
| Color | White |
| Glow/Halo | Yes |
| Lights | Yes |
| How Many Lights | Several |
| How Bright | Med. Bright |
| Light Coloration | orange and yellow |
| Sound | None |
| Motion/Speed | 40 – 45 mph |
| Number of Objects | 1 |
| Coordination/Communication | N/A |
| Windows | None |
| Occupants | None |
| Description | WITNESS ACCOUNT: My unit’s second encounter took place the summer of 1977. This time we were on the outskirts of Big Bear Lake, which is about a hundred miles northeast of Los Angeles in the San Bernardino National Forest. As usual, we had a check point at the base of a mountain, our encampment halfway up the mountain, and our radar on top of the mountain. I don’t remember the reason why, but some of us were allowed to drive there in our own vehicles. We parked our cars in an open field across from the checkpoint. One night there were about a dozen of us waiting at the checkpoint for a deuce and half to come from town and take us up to our encampment. There was a stationary bright white light low of the horizon. I just assumed it was Venus or an exceptionally bright star. I was talking to an Air Force military policeman when he and I simultaneously noticed that the light had started to move. He immediately ran to his Jeep and came back with a pair of binoculars. He viewed the object, and then handed the binoculars to me. Through the binoculars the object appeared to be a glowing white triangular shaped object pointing straight up. It was covered with object appeared to be a glowing white triangular shaped object pointing straight up. It was covered with several yellow and orange lights. It had no navigation or anti-collision strobes. The triangular shape surprised me given that the object looked perfectly round to the naked eye. The object flew an elliptical pattern at low altitude and low speed. Maybe 600 to 700 feet at 40 to 45 miles per hour. At its closest approach it was probably about three quarters of a mile from us. At no time did we hear any kind of sound. Everybody was now looking at this thing and passing around the binoculars. It made about three trips on its racetrack pattern, and finally on one of its outbound legs just keep going. Somebody in our group called up to the radar hut to see if we were picking it up on radar. But unfortunately, our radar was down for repairs. The sighting lasted somewhere around twelve to fifteen minutes. None of us seemed to have any idea as to what it was. In fact, when the truck from town arrived a short time later, some of the guys started yelling to the people on the truck, “You should have been here sooner! We just saw a UFO!” |
| Nearby Landmarks | San Bernadino National Forest |
| Latitude | 34.0610858 |
| Longitude | -116.96033 |
| Altitude | 600-700 feet |
| Propulsion | Unknown |
| Advanced Capabilities | None |
| Visible Payload | None |
| Radar | N/A |
| Signatures | N/A |
| Awareness | None |
| Aggression | None |
| Health Effects | None |
| Physical/Environmental Effects | None |
| Animal Disturbance | None |
| Witness Feelings | Excitement |
| Witness Assessment | None of the witnesses could determine what the object was. |
| Additional Info | This is the third of three sightings this witness reported. |
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