As a result of some local publicity in May and June of 1998, we were informed that a photograph of several UFOs near Tagish Lake was taken some years back. In July of 1998 an investigation led to the identification of the secondhand witness who was in possession of a slide duplicate of the image. A copy of the slide was made, a preliminary analysis performed, the witness was interviewed and results are presented in this report.

A cropped portion of the image is shown below (Figure 1). An image of the entire slide (112K) is also available. There are seven UFOs in the image. We know that there was a total of seven objects from witness testimony. This is important since object 7 (the smallest object) is almost indistinguishable from bright reflections off the mountain rocks. The UFOs in Figure 1 are numbered 1 through 7 at the upper and lower edge of the image as not to distract from the photo. Each one is "clickable" for a magnified view of each object.

Two couples were doing some recreational boating on Tagish Lake in 1970 (approx.). Tagish Lake is a large glacial lake about 100km(60 miles) south of Whitehorse, the Territory’s capital. The two couples were travelling in two separate boats.

To respect their anonymity, we will simply refer to the two men involved in this story by their first names, Jim and George. George was in his early 50’s and Jim was in his mid 60’s around that time.Note: since the writing of this report, Jim's surviving daughter has been contacted. She has given her permission to disclose his identity. You may read about Jim Conacher here.

It was about 10 am when they were travelling southbound on the lake. It was windy and the water was a bit on the rough side. Jim's boat was smaller than George's and also had an open top. George and his wife where driving in a closed and larger boat. Because Jim had a smaller boat and wanted to stay out of the roughest water, he was travelling close to the shoreline while George and his wife could afford to travel out in the middle of the lake and were about 5 to 8 kilometres back.

While travelling along the edge of the lake, Jim and his wife saw seven strange glowing orbs as shown in the photograph (Figure 1). There are four closer objects and three more further up the mountainside. Jim estimated that they were 3 to 4 feet in diameter. They moved about slowly for the estimated 15 minutes that they watched them as he and his wife traveled down the lake. 

The four closer objects eventually made their way up the mountain to join the other objects. George was too far back to notice the objects and didn’t even have sight of Jim's boat. His concentration was devoted to the rough water. Jim or his wife never mentioned anything to George until the film was developed, about a week later. We can speculate that this may have been because of the fear of ridicule or disbelief. That is until Jim had the slide in hand. As far as George knows this was the only photo of the objects that Jim took.

Jim used slide film and made a couple of slide duplicates for George . George submitted one to the Weather Office who submitted it the Department of National Defence in Ottawa. About a year later George was curious to find out what the department found from their analysis so he asked the person at the Weather Office to look into it. The answer he got back was that that information was classified.

The analysis performed here does not come from experience in analyzing UFO photographs but rather from the viewpoint of experience with photography. Further analysis is warranted by experts in the UFO field.

On Sept 5, 1998 a field trip was undertaken to establish a more precise location of the sighting and the location of Jim when he took the photo. After some effort the location was found and a 1998 photograph was taken from the same spot using a camera with the same focal length lens as Jim used. The UFO locations were drawn as red circles to facilitate analysis. The island in the forefront enabled us to pinpoint the witness location on a map of the area (105K). It is estimated that the 1998 photo was taken within about 10 metres (30 ft) of the 1970 photo.

Unlike the 1970 photo which was taken under cloudy conditions the 1998 photograph was taken in good lighting and therefore shows a lot more detail in the terrain. The photograph was taken at about 9:45am, about the same time of day as the 1970 photo.

Because of the higher detail some further analysis could be performed. By measuring rock formations on the island and scaling them on the photograph it was established that Jim was approximately 50 metres (164 ft) from the island. The distance of 250 metres (820 ft) from the island to the shore behind it was scaled off a map. Therefore, the total distance from Jim to the shoreline was approximately 300 metres (984 ft). The 1998 photograph clearly shows that UFO#1 was in front of the tall spruce trees at the shore line. If we assume that UFO#1 is just in front of the trees and therefore 300 metres from Jim, we can calculate its size. After doing the math we get a maximum object diameter of 1.4 metres (4.5 ft). This agrees well with Jim's estimate that the objects were about 3 to 4 ft in diameter. Although the objects look like dots in Figure 1, calculations show that UFO#1 would of appeared to be about half the diameter of a full moon to the witnesses.

The magnified images: UFO#1, UFO#2, UFO#3, UFO#4, UFO#5,UFO#6, UFO#7 are magnified to the point where the grain structure of the film can be seen. This should be taken into account when looking for details in these images. Nevertheless, useful data can be obtained from these magnified images. The objects appear slightly hazy or diffused. However, note that there is no sharp detail in the entire photo so it is therefore not possible to tell if the actual objects were well defined spheres or diffused lights. (Figure 2 shows that the edge of the mountainside is not any less diffused than the UFOs). Of notable interest is UFO #4. It is surrounded by 3 anomalous bluish objects or lights.

These magnified images can give us the relative diameter and color of the UFOs. The diameter was used to assess object size and distance. The color of the objects also give us some important information.

This color difference is dramatically shown in a close-up seven object composite portrait.

Note that UFOs 1 through 4 (the closest ones to the camera) are not in direct sunlight as the surrounding trees are not illuminated. Therefore, these objects may be glowing by their own source. The glow is of yellow and perhaps of a slightly green color. In contrast, the area around UFOs 5, 6, and 7 up on the mountainside is bathed in morning amber light from the sunrise. The three UFOs also seem to be of a similar amber color suggesting that they may be reflecting sunlight as well. If this is true, it indicates that they are of a solid nature rather than some form of plasma. The questions remains; if the 4 closer objects were exposed to the sunlight, would they also reflect it over and above their glowing yellow color? Did they appear to be of the same amber color to Jim once he observed the 4 closer objects join the other objects further up on the mountainside?

Because there were nearby trees behind UFO#1 it was possible to estimate the maximum distance and size of this UFO. This was not so easy for the other six. However, if we make some assumptions, we can perform some further calculations. If we assume that the other UFOs are of the same diameter, we can calculate their distance from the camera. When we do this we obtain:

UFO#2  distance = 313 metres (1027 ft)

UFO#3  distance = 378 metres (1240 ft)

UFO#4  distance = 406 metres (1332 ft)

If we do this for UFO#5 which appears to be further up the mountainside where the sun appears to be shining, we obtain a distance of 1.15 kilometres. However, this is inconsistent with the actual distance of about 5 kilometres to this location (see map of area). One way this can be explained is if the objects on the mountainside are larger than UFO#1. If we do the calculation, UFOs #5 and 6 would have to be at least 6 metres (20 ft) in diameter. UFO# 7 appears to be much smaller in the photo and may be partially obscured by trees. The possible locations of the seven objects are shown as small red dots in a map of the area.

The complete image (112K) shows useful information which will aid in further analysis. Several dust particles and the frayed edge of the slide can be used to assess the quality of the copy negative and print. Ideally we want the grain structure of the copy film finer than the structure of the slide to capture the most detail. This is likely the case as films today have a much finer grain structure than in 1970. Nevertheless, this can be independently assessed by looking at the film grain size representing the dust particles. The print will have to be enlarged further and rescanned for this analysis to be performed. The complete image (112K) is not of a fine enough resolution for analyzing the film grain structure.

It would be ideal to work with the original slide to perform further analysis. It would also be of great value if other photographs of the objects were taken. Perhaps one after the four UFOs in the forefront moved further up the mountain. Unfortunately, Jim has moved down south and has since passed away. His wife is also deceased. Attempts will be made to recover the original slide by contacting surviving relatives. George stills resides in Whitehorse.

A careful look at the film grain structure representing the dust particles on the slide will be compared to the grain size representing the UFOs to assess if the copy negative was of a fine enough grain size to record as much detail as possible from the slide.

Witness Reliability

The testimony of the secondhand witness George sounded very sincere. George was curious about what Jim saw and photographed and added that neither him nor Jim have or have had a big interest in the UFO phenomenon.

There was no apparent reason for Jim to make up the story or to fake the photograph. Jim’s story which was related by George sounded sincere and the two were close friends. Jim was the Chief Grain Inspector of Canada around that time and therefore it is unlikely he would have risked his credibility by perpetuating a hoax.

One question which often comes up is "Why is there only one photo of the objects when Jim observed them for 15 minutes?" Of course there may have been more photos that we are not aware of but as far as George knows, Jim only had the one image. However, during the September 1998 field trip, one possible explanation for the one photo theory came to mind. As I was holding up the UFO photo in front of me, looking at the scene, and simultaneously trying to steer the outboard motor to get into Jim's position, one thing very quickly became apparent. When I imagined what the real scene must of looked like, it almost sent chills down my spine. Although, UFO#1 looks only like a dot in the photograph, UFO#1 would of looked " DAM CLOSE ! " in real life. If Jim wanted to at the time he could of driven the boat towards the UFO and been underneath it in less than 30 seconds and taken more photographs at very close range. Surrounded by ice cold water it wouldn’t surprise me if he would have chosen to do just the opposite; that is, take one quick photo and continue to drive down the lake while keeping a somewhat fearful and very watchful eye on the objects.

Technical Information

It is unknown what brand and model of camera was used to take the original image. However, George thinks it was a good quality camera, perhaps a Leica. The film format was 35mm. George surmises that Jim may have been using 25 ASA slide film at the time. The September 5th, 1998 field trip established that the lens focal length was a standard 50mm.

The images attached here were obtained from the one slide duplicate in the following manner:

Fuji 100ASA print film was used to make a copy of the slide. A copy stand and a 35 mm Cannon SLR Camera (EOS 630) was used to take negative copies. A 100 mm (true Macro Lens) was used, magnification was 1:1. The slide was backlit using Tungsten photo lamps with a blue corrective filter over the lens to compensate for use with daylight film. Aperture was set at f9.5. Shutter speeds were bracketed and ranged from 1/4 to 3 seconds. A timer was used to reduce camera shake. Glossy prints measuring 4x6 inches were made of the entire image (these would be approximately 4 times magnification of the slide). Twenty times magnified 5x8 inch prints of the UFOs were also made.

The prints were scanned using a UMAX 1220S Scanner ranging from 150 to 1200 dpi. To reduce download times, the images on this web site are not the full resolution scans.

Following his retirement after 35 years with the Government of Canada, Jim Conacher took up temporary residence near Tagish Lake in the Yukon. For many years prior to his retirement Jim was Chief of the Inspection Division of the Canadian Grain Commission. In that capacity he and his department of some 400 people were responsible for ensuring that Canadian grain met the high standards set by the commission. Jim represented Canada, along with Chief Chemist, Dr. J. Anderson, in several trips to China and Russia when Canada first began selling its grain to those countries.

Jim was a highly intelligent, analytical man of scientific bent and solid integrity. I do recall him showing me the photograph of the strange objects over Tagish Lake. He found them very perplexing. Although he showed the photo to various experts, he was not satisfied with the explanations that he received.

Lenore Conacher (daughter)

January 29/99

It was late winter in 1994 when hundreds of people called 911 with reports of red, blue, and green lights zipping across Lake Michigan. It all started with the mysterious object the US military shot down over Lake Huron. The pilot who took it down said it appeared octagonal in shape, and about the size of a four-wheeler. And although the US Coast Guard spent 60 hours conducting 23 different searches over 4,000 square miles—aided by the Canadian Cost Guard and the Canadian Royal Mounted Police—the object could not be recovered from Lake Huron.

We’re pretty sure this and the other unidentified flying objects that have floated over the country in recent weeks weren’t sent by aliens, but if you’re skeptical, you’re not alone. A recent survey found that Michigan ranks in the top 10 states in the nation for UFO sightings. When we at The ‘Gander started digging into the Lake Huron object, we learned that Michigan has one of the most curious UFO cases in US history—so mysterious that a future president asked the federal government to take a deeper look. How could we not go down this rabbit hole?

That’s why, every other week, we’re bringing you “Extraterrestrial Tuesdays: UFO Sightings in Michigan.” So far, we’ve covered the Kinross incident, the Kecksburg UFO, the infamous “swamp gas” sightings. This week, we’re looking into the curious and unexplainable lights over Lake Michigan in 1994. Never forget, ‘Ganders: The truth is out there.

The Lake Michigan UFO Sightings - West Michigan—March 8, 1994

It was late winter in 1994 when hundreds of people called 911 with reports of red, blue, and green lights zipping across Lake Michigan. The lights, they said, would zoom apart, converge, and then separate again. One woman who called in reported that they resembled Christmas lights. “I don’t know if you guys do anything on UFOs at all, but I got the real one,” one caller reportedly said. The lights pulsed from cylindrical objects that, for many, appeared to be otherworldly.  

Jack Bushong, a meteorologist working at the National Weather Service branch in Ottawa County, received a call from the Holland police station. Officers asked if  he’d seen anything unusual on the radar that night. “Witnesses are seeing five or six objects, some cylindrically shaped, circles with blue, red, white and green lights. We’ve had reports from south Holland and over in northern Allegan County. Lots of lights moving all over the place,” Holland police officer Jeff Veltman told Bushong, per a recording released to the public. Bushong took manual control of the radar and started looking up and down the Lake Michigan coastline. Eventually, he registered a blip tracked at 100 miles per hour. He then watched as it ascended tens of thousands of feet straight into the air. Veltman reported seeing the same thing.

Then, at about 30,000 or 40,000 feet in the air, Bushong saw a triangle form—three separate objects, with a horizontal distance of 20 miles from one to the next. The shapes proceeded to zip up and down, reaching heights up to 60,000 feet, disqualifying any theory that ground interference could have caused the radar readings. “They were just moving so fast, and two more started coming into play there. I really had little time to describe where they were before they had moved and jumped again,” said Bushong to WWMT 20 years after the incident. Veltman called the Muskegon air traffic control tower to find out if they had seen anything. Veltman said they had tracked three objects close together in the distance and did not have any flight code information for them. In the days that followed, more people along the shoreline—as far away as the Upper Peninsula and as late as three days after the initial sighting—called in with UFO reports. Some claimed to have been abducted.

A year later, the Chicago Tribune interviewed Leo Grenier, director of the National Weather Service. “I don’t believe for a minute that it was any kind of alien structure; I think there is a fairly strong earthly explanation for what occurred,” Grenier told the Tribune. Grenier didn’t elaborate, though he said the Federal Aviation Administration knew more than it was letting on. To date, the 1994 sightings remain unexplained, according to the Michigan chapter of the Mutual UFO Nonprofit. Many witnesses maintain that what they saw that night wasn’t normal. In 2022, the Netflix show “Unsolved Mysteries” recounted the event. “It was not like a plane. It was not like a blimp. It was not like anything I’ve ever seen,” said Holly Graves, a witness interviewed on Unsolved Mysteries. “It was a chrome material, cylinder shape, and they were going around in a circle. I saw no windows, and then lights coming out at the bottom.”

Source: https://gandernewsroom.com/2023/04/18/what-were-those-lights-over-lake-michigan-in-1994-looking-back-at-that-odd-evening/

Air Shuttle 5959 and Masaba 3179 (Live Recordings)

The following is a transcript of the communications between 2 flights over Cleveland Ohio, Air Shuttle 5959 and Masaba 3179 regarding a UFO that was spotted by both planes on February 28, 1996. 

Air Shuttle 5959: Air Cleveland, this is 5959. We see traffic out there. Ah...twelve to one o'clock. Ah...low altitude. Do you have him on the radar?

Cleveland Control: Air Shuttle 5959, that's a negative. Sir, I don't have anything out in front of ya at twelve to one o'clock.

Air Shuttle 5959: Ok...

Cleveland Control: He's down well below you or can you get an estimate on an altitude on him?

Air Shuttle 5959: Well, that could be really difficult. Ah...we're between layers here. I'm just gonna estimate two-three thousand feet below us. Maybe and ah...sort of ah...pulsating light about, I don't know, ten miles out.

Cleveland Control: Ok, Air Shuttle 5959. I'll keep my eyes open. But I don't see anything.

Masaba 3179: Was that northwest of Detroit did you see that light?

Air Shuttle 5959: Yeah.

Masaba 3179: Yeah, that's where I saw it. A really bright white light, sometimes flickering...ah...underneath the clouds is where I saw it.

Cleveland Control: Air Shuttle 5959, is that traffic, ah...that you saw earlier? Do you see him out there any longer?

Air Shuttle 5959: Air Shuttle 5959, that's affirmative and it's a light that kinda...it goes dim and it gets bright. I don't know if we're getting closer to it or what? But it looks like a rotating light around it like ah...like a Frisbee type thing that's going around it.

Unknown voice: UFO.

Cleveland Control: Masaba 3179, do you see the same thing?

Masaba 3179: Ah...sir, I saw it coming out of Detroit and I wondered...ah...all I saw was just a couple really bright flashes of light and it almost looked like lightning and it caught my eye. And then I kept watching it and then it looked a little bit less bright. But it looked like it was underneath the cloud deck to me. And this was just as we were coming out of Detroit.

Cleveland Control: Ok, and can you get an altitude on it at all?

Masaba 3179: The light that I saw was just like, maybe, I don't know...twenty-five miles northwest of Detroit. Is it what you're referring to or you're talking about the light at our twelve o'clock now about ten miles?

Cleveland Control: Any kind of target off to your twelve o'clock?

Masaba 3179: Ah...we have some kind of white light out there at twelve o'clock and the captain ah...says it's pulsating. It looks like oncoming traffic. But it's just sitting about the same place that it's been the whole...here about ten or fifteen minutes we've been watching it.

Air Shuttle 5959: Year, Air Shuttle 5959. It looks like it's almost over Saginaw from our position.

Cleveland Control: Ok, Air Shuttle 5959. Contact Saginaw Approach Control 126.45. I appreciate the information.

Masaba 3179: 3179, that target looks like it's ah...below us. I would guesstimate maybe ten thousand feet.

Cleveland Control: Around ten thousand feet, would you think it might be like a reflection? Ah...maybe perhaps off a beacon that for some reason, it's just one of those weird things. Ah...natural phenomena that you're getting a reflection, cause I got nothing out there.

Masaba 3179: I don't know. I mean we can see a clear, you know, relatively solid cloud deck...ah...below us and this is definitely ah...distinct whitish ah...well, now it's looking a little red and greenish white, sort of pulsating light and it's consonant. It's not a beacon.

Air Shuttle 5959: Air Cleveland, Air Shuttle 5959.

Cleveland Control: Go ahead, sir.

Air Shuttle 5959: Yeah. Hey, be advised we're descending to four thousand feet right now and as we descend through ten thousand feet, that object is above us right now. It is not on the ground. It's about ten thousand feet.

Cleveland Control: Ok, sir. We're checking on it right now. I don't have anything out in front of ya at all I'm showing. I appreciate you coming back to the frequency and letting me know.

Air Shuttle 5959: I'll keep you advised. I tell you what that is weird. It keeps sitting there pulsating.

Cleveland Control: Masaba 3179, where is it relative to you right now?

Masaba 3179: Twelve o'clock sir

Cleveland Control: I'm trying to do a little investigating as to what this might be. If you would keep me advised on this.

Masaba 3179: Ok, sir. I'm gonna blink my lights at him and see if I can get a reaction. 3179, was the other guy that saw that light was he headed southeast bound or was he headed to (garbled)?

Cleveland Control: Well, he was inbound to Saginaw and actually when I sent him over to Saginaw, I expected that was gonna be the last I heard from him. He came back up on the frequency and advised me that his clearance was down to four thousand and that he said that what he saw, was still up above him and was like a red...he said it was red and green light that was pulsing and like rotating. He said he would keep me advised and give us a report once he got into Saginaw. You don't have a camera on board, do ya?

Masaba 3179: We could probably get one from one of the passengers. You want us to ask?

Cleveland Control: Yeah, that would be kinda interesting to have a couple of pictures. I think...ah...might make our case a little better.

Masaba 3179: Ok, 3179, we got a passenger taking a picture of it right now and ah...we have a flight attendant who says that ah...they might have saw the same thing the other night.

Cleveland Control: Masaba 3179, I copy that. Ah...Masaba 3179, when you flashed your lights, did you get any response?

Masaba 3179: Didn't appear to, sir.

Cleveland Control: Ok, Masaba 3179, I'm gonna send you over to Minneapolis now sir. Is it still on your twelve o'clock?

Masaba 3179: Ah...negative sir. It's at about our two o'clock now. We ah...made a turn.

Cleveland Control: Ok, so it's off your right side about two o'clock. I'd sure be interested to see those pictures. Can I ah...get you an address that you might be able to send a copy, if you get a copy of them?

Masaba 3179: Yeah, sure. We can do that and actually we made a right turn and he's off about ten to eleven o'clock.

Cleveland Control: Ok, so he's off your left side. Ok.

Masaba 3179: Ok, thirty-two-nine. We'll see ya. I wonder if those pictures will show anything?

Masaba 3179: Air Cleveland, Masaba 3179.

Cleveland Control: Masaba 3179, go ahead.

Masaba 3179: I Just want you to know that I took a picture, as captain on the left side. I also took (unrecognizable) of some of the stars above, so the lowest light on those pictures. The only single light at the bottom of the picture should be ah...what you're looking at. And you might be able to get a position with the sky if you want to go that far.

Cleveland Control: Ok, great. Tat's a good idea, I appreciate that.

Masaba 3179: it was an instamatic camera. Good night sir.

Cleveland Control: Good night.  

1967 - Pigeon Lake, Alberta, Canada. On the evening of July 3, Mr. Douglas Dennis, fishing at Pigeon Lake, near Buckhorn, was amazed by the appearance of a soft, orange-colored ball of light in the sky above him.

It descended quite low, and Mr. Dennis took his camera and snapped a color picture of the brightly luminous mass hovering in the air. This remarkable night photograph clearly shows a round, luminous object directly overhead. Others present observed the object and Mr. Dennis photographing it.

Visitors to Chile are no strangers to peering up at the clear, infinite skies, with world-famous observatories in areas such as La Serena and Atacama allowing everyone, from enthusiastic amateurs to professional astronomers, to join the dots between twinkling constellations of stars. But if you think the greatest surprise coming your way will be a shooting star, you might need to think again...

Believe it or not, Chile is often cited as the country with the highest recorded number of UFO sightings. Low humidity, plateaus at high altitudes, and clear skies which are relatively free from light pollution, all conspire to make it a favourite among UFO-seekers the world over.

The unassuming Andean town of San Clemente has gained galactic fame in recent years, becoming an unexpected mecca for UFO enthusiasts. Since the mid-nineties, hundreds of curious sightings have been reported in the area. In 2008, a designated UFO trail was opened by the local council, encouraging visitors to explore the area, learn about sightings, and have their minds suitably boggled. This nineteen-mile stretch in the Andes has been dubbed by British Airways magazine HighLife to be the best place in the world to come into contact with an extra-terrestrial...

San Clemente’s clear blue skies are perfect for keen and inquiring eyes to seek out the weird and the wonderful spinning through the sky... From glowing orbs sweeping downwards to sink into rivers and lakes, to hovering discs appearing quite literally out of the blue, many a baffled local has a strange tale to tell...

Along the trail are restaurants, cabins, campsites, and information boards detailing noteworthy encounters with the otherworldly. UFO-hunters can also explore the peculiar landscape of El Enladrillado, an enigma in itself. After several hours of trekking by foot or on horseback, this plateau can be found at an altitude of 2,300 metres. Made up of 233 rectangular volcanic stone slabs, these have been arranged to form a vast, flat surface, which many believe to be the ideal landing pad for spacecrafts. It’s a marvel worth visiting even if you aren’t lucky enough to unravel the secrets of the universe, since no one has managed to explain which ancient culture managed to create this geometric stone pavement in the middle of nowhere.

During the trail, you can also drop in at Lake Colbún, which supposedly attracts unusual activity because of its high mineral level. No guarantees of a glimpse of a flying saucer, of course, but you never know...

Further north, things are looking no less spooky and suspicious... this July the Chilean government officially categorised an object hovering over the Atacama Desert as a UFO. The separate governmental office created specifically to investigate UFO sightings in the country, the CEFAA, was alerted to the sighting of a disc-shaped body, spotted by technicians working at the Collahuasi copper mine. The perplexed witnesses initially intended to keep their experience quiet, fearing disbelief, and it was only when the chief engineer at the mine saw the photos that he sent them to the CEFAA for analysis. All possible meteorological explanations have been dismissed, and thus the mystery remains, with some considering the object to be a missive from outer space... You can see some of the images of suspected UFOs visiting Chile's skies here.

And if after all that you are still hot on the heels of the weird and unexplained, you can head to the Elqui Valley, near La Serena, which is famed for its crystal clear skies, observatories and, you guessed it, the odd UFO sighting. Thought to be one of the most magnetic places on Earth, and a renowned source of powerful cosmic energy and paranormal activity, idle stargazing in the valley might just make us earthlings realise that we are not so alone in the universe after all...

Whether you believe in UFOs or not, don’t forget to cast your eyes to the heavens on Wednesday 8th October to catch a full lunar eclipse if you find yourself in North or South America, or anywhere around the Pacific Ocean!

Much analysis has been undertaken using the original negative, most notably by Dr. Richard F. Haines and Dr. Jacques F. Vallee. It seems safe to assume that it is not a double-exposure or the result of manipulation of the negative. All indications are that this is a photo of a large three-dimensional disk , or shallow cone, [hovering?] above, and possibly partially submerged in Lago de Cote. There were apparently no witnesses to the disk's presence at the time of the photograph, but other incidents at that location had been reported by local farmers, involving strange, artificial objects moving around the surface or just below the surface of the lake. (NURMUFO). For an in-depth, scientific analysis of this photograph, see "Photo Analyses of an Aerial Disc Over Costa Rica", by Richard Haines and Jacques Vallee: 

The absence of any shadows on the surface of the earth tends to suggest that the object itself is at or close to the surface; Hence, no shadow of the disk would be expected. Equally intriguing is the fuzzy area on the left side of the disk, which may be explained by the possibility that the disk was partially submerged, producing the irregular boundary. Aside from visual inspections of the negative and enlarged prints, with different contrasts, computer enhancement was used to uncover further details after which the authors concluded:

"In summary, our analyses have suggested that an unidentified, opaque, aerial object was captured on film at a maximum distance of 10,000 feet. There are no visible means of lift or propulsion and no surface markings other than dark regions that appear to be nonrandom... There is no indication that the image is the product of a double exposure or a deliberate fabrication."

Haines, and Vallée, 1989.

Computer scientist and ufologist Jacques Vallée participated in this photograph's analysis and stated in a recent interview:

"Digital enhancement of photographs is very useful. In my book, Confrontations, I mention the photograph that I brought back from Costa Rica, which was unusual because the object was over a lake [Lago de Cote], so there was a uniform black background. Everything is known about the aircraft that took the photo. At the time the picture was taken, nobody on the plane had seen the object. It was only after the film was developed that the object was discovered. The camera used was exceptional: It produced a very large negative - ten inches, very detailed. You can see cows in the field. The time is known; the latitude, longitude and altitude of the aircraft is known. So we spent a lot of time analyzing that photograph, without being able to find any obvious natural answer to the object. It seems to be a very large, solid thing."

"I obtained the negative from the government of Costa Rica - if you don't have the negative, analysis is a waste of time. I also obtained the negative of the picture taken before and the picture after, all uncut. I took negatives to a friend of mine in France who works for a firm that digitally analyzes satellite photographs. They digitized the entire thing, and then analyzed it to the extent that they could, and could not find an explanation for the object."

This photograph,which has been thoroughly investigated, is on tof the may photographic prrof of the reality of UFOs as solid and material crafts of non terrestrial origin.

References:

• Haines, Richard and Vallée, Jacques, "Photo Analysis of an Aerial Disc Over Costa Rica," Journal of Scientific Exploration, Vol. 3, No. 2, 1989, pp. 113-131.

• Haines, Richard and Vallée, Jacques, "Photo Analysis of an Aerial Disc Over Costa Rica: New Evidence," Journal of Scientific Exploration, Vol. 4, No. 1, 1990, pp. 71-74.

• Vallée, Jacques, "Confrontation", book.

Argentina: The Strange Bariloche Aircraft of 1968

By Andrea Pérez Simondini - CEFORA

Based on the research of Alejandro Vignati, 2001 Magazine (1968)

Journalist and poet Alejandro Vignatti became involved with the case immediately as a correspondent for "2001: Periodismo de anticipacion" - a scientific popularization magazine for which he served on the editorial board. He got in touch with the principal witnesses of the case, writing a detailed article for the cited publication, which we transcribe below:

BARILOCHE CASE - JULY 23, 1968

RESEARCH BY ALEJANDRO VIGNATI

Source: 2001 Magazine, No. 1 Buenos Aires, October 4, 1968

Temperature: 3.5 degrees (Celsius) and 9 degrees (by noon)

Clouds: Stratocumuli

Forecast: Some rain and isolated showers in the afternoon. Soft breezes over parks, lakes and forests, reaching wind speeds of 40kmh.

Weather Station Director: Roberto Tadeo (age 44, 3 children)

Aeronautical Conditions: Cloudy skies, some clouds at 800-100 meters, good visibility.

Airport Director: Cornelio Gauna

Tower Operator: Walter Furst

Radio Operators: Sigfrido Cortondo and Roberto Mediana

Cornelio Gauna (married with one 19-year-old daughter, 10 years as director of the local airport) drove his red Valiant to work as usual. 4 kilometers from that location, Juan Giss (married, 1 son, age 46) a former tank driver for the German army during WWII, said farewell to his wife and headed into the city to open his clockwork business.

Carmen (a receptionist with Aerolíneas) consulted the AVRO's arrival time in the afternoon and Duilio Salvatore (43, married, 4 children, resident of Bahia) a correspondent for Telenoche in Bariloche, analyzed the best way to film the arrival of an important dignitary during the afternoon. The time was currently ten a.m.

In Austral, traffic dispatcher Margaret Clarke requested information the arrival of an airliner belonging to her company (One-Eleven) flown by commanders Fernandez and Watt. A similar task was performed by the cargo forwarder, Jorge Acosta. Neither was aware of what would happen to their neighbor hours later.

Walter Furst (married, 2 children), the airport's tower controller that morning, did not notice anything odd. He almost surely exchanged a few words with radio operators Sigfrido Cortondo and Roberto Medina (44, married, 3 children) who were there on that day.

In the city, only a few kilometers from the airport, Hector Sabato, director of Bariloche's Channel 3, was calculating his arrival time to the airport to welcome an important dignitary. Moreover, Francisco Caló, the stations technical director, head of the radiotelegram sector, was leaving his post at the state office and headed for the upper floor of the building, facing Lake Nahuel Huapi, for lunch.

It was a sunless day, and a suspicious calm hung in the air. Yet it went unnoticed by Pedro Garrafa, 49, owner of the airport lounge. Egon Rost, an employee of the facility, was thinking about going home and engaging in his secret passion: painting. Without reflecting on deeper matters, Maggie - a tyro skier - met her friends at the Italia Hotel's coffee shop. Dickey Gurrow, 30, proprietor of the "La Vaca Inn" grill, passed by. He also owned a local paint company, and was meeting the owner of the Hotel Parque.

Mr. Eistman awaited the arrival of the AVRO, inbound from Buenos Aires with Cmdr. Emilio Loza at the helm, at 13:15 hours. Demetrio Cottescu (a Romanian pilot living in Bariloche) was inspecting his own aircraft and arranged some tourist flights by phone.

Everything was normal, Walter Furst told "2001". He was working with equipment from the Aerolineas and Austral airlines. When the AVRO appeared, the commander asked me, with certain exasperation, why I wasn't advising him of local traffic at the time. I replied that there was no traffic. The pilot said there was a "large" machine in front of him at the head of the runway.

I looked up and there it was. It was there. A large silent airplane, as if ready to land. I called it on all the frequencies employed and it did not answer. I ordered the AVRO to remain alert, due to the unknown origin and type of airliner. The Austral One-Eleven was order to maintain its altitude due to the unknown intentions of the "mystery plane".

The intruder flew sideways. It was comparable to a Caravelle or a Comet, but with a thinner body, large, stubby wings and silver in color. It was a conventional aircraft of some sort, not a UFO, and had no windows. It flew at some 200-300 kmh. It continued to the end of the runway. Displaying extraordinary maneuverability, it headed for the nearby hills and vanished toward the lake. It appeared minutes later, showing its profile to the airport, following the same path to make its departure. When it got to the end of runway 28, it made a nearly 360 degree turn and left. That's it. Many saw it. Yes, it was an airplane.

"Was there anyone else at that moment?" wondered the journalist. The airport was packed, and employees strove to maintain order. Roberto Medina was inside an AVRO on the runway and Hector Sabato ahd arrived in a hurry.

"Yes," ventured Carmen from Aerolineas Argentinas, "I saw it. I was near the platform and they told me there was an aircraft. They said it was a "flying saucer". I went to the platform's entrance and looked at the runway. It was a conventional-looking machine; it made no noise and had no windows along the fuselage or in the cockpit. At first I thought it was a flying saucer, then I realized it wasn't."

"So what was it then? Did everyone who saw it share the same opinion?"

"It was a stranger craft than we're used to seeing," said Garrafa. "its color was dark grey, silent. It was followed by an AVRO, and the mystery craft flew slowly. I paid it no mind."

"Yes, I gave it little importance," Hector Sabato declared emphatically. "I was in the city and on my way to the airport. I heard the noise of a jet and looked toward the lake. I saw it without really seeing it. It was followed by an AVRO. I cursed myself for arriving late. When I reached the airport I learned of the strange apparition."

Witnesses were emerging. It wasn't easy to enter the office of the Bariloche airport director. Convincing him of the seriousness of our mission, exhausting his kindness and reaching conclusions proved to be an effort. But it was necessary to know, to follow the leads. Who saw it in the city?

A STORM OVER THE WATER

"That day," stated Francisco Caló, "I left my office at the lower floor of the post office at around 13:10 hours and went upstairs to my residence. I had finished lunch and my wife and I were watching a police boat on its way to rescue some youngsters engaged in reckless boating. I live in the city center, facing the lake, and my three dining room windows face it. When the boat approached the kids, that's when I saw it. I remember the clouds were low and it was drizzling. There were large waves and I looked skyward. The machine looked like a Piper, at first. But when it turned, I saw it wasn’t. "This is the Caravelle," I thought.

"But when it made a tight turn, I saw it was wrong. I heard a buzz and thought, "must be the AVRO." It wasn't. When it made a U-turn, returning whence it came, I could see it clearly at a distance of 500 meters. it looked like a dolphin in profile, with two engines, one on each wing, close to the fuselage. Very low speed and altitude, that's what I noticed. The fuselage appeared to be "hanging" from the wings. It vanished toward the airport. The rudder looked like that of a Guarani and was painted blue, I think, with a little yellow triangle. It made tight turns (90 degrees and 360 degrees) and had a Concorde-type nose and fuselage."

His descriptions coincided with those of Margaret Clarke, although she believes it had "delta" wings. Acosta insists that the wings were trapezoidal and very wide. The fact of the matter is that they were all there, and they all had their own impression.

Duilio Salvatore, who saw it on his way to the airport, thought it was an utterly silent machine, flying slowly with the characteristics described by the other witnesses. A characteristic that matches what was seen by Juan Giss, who was able to see the unidentified plane as he had lunch.

"At 13:00 hours I was in my kitchen, eating. I heard an odd sound, similar to that of an aircraft in a power dive. I went to the garden and the clouds were very low, some 250 meters, and I waited for it to appear. It emerged from the clouds, turning at the speed of a DC-4, perhaps slower. I saw an "airplane". To me, it was an AVRO type engine, turboprop, but with an extraordinary maneuverability, some 150 meters distant, over the lake. It was extraordinarily stable. It later headed off toward the airport. A friend of mine also saw it. Engineer Reposini, my neighbor. He agrees with me."

Were there others? It was hard to find out. A blanket of silence draped any further information.

The communiqué from the Argentinean Air Force was laconic. Research is underway. It was necessary to dig deeper, get to the core, find the official word. We already had the image of what the vehicle was like, and its characteristics, maneuverability, and the minute-by-minute reconstruction of its flight path. It was seen, and close at hand. It was heard and not heard. But the stories go beyond that. Did anyone try to stop it? Did it respond to the "green light" call?

AN INTRUDER IN THE AIR

Cornelio Gauna welcomed us. We had traveled 2000 kilometers and interviewed many people, except for him.

"When did the aircraft appear?"

"Last July 23rd," he said, "between 13:15 and 13:35 hours approximately. An "unknown" aircraft flew over this airport, for which I am responsible. Its characteristics did not resemble those of any civilian or military machine operating at this airport to date. It was clearly not a UFO, but a conventional device that avoided detection. It did not fly over the tower or the air station, making it visible from underneath, and it did not answer calls from radiotelephony or visual signals."

He stops and lights a cigarette, and looks outside. He seems to be weighing every word. There’s a file in front of us that keeps the secret. However, Gauna's cordial demeanor banishes all fears. He's there, doing his job. We feel, dear reader, that his words were very sincere.

"When no contact was made with the tower," he continues, looking out at the landscape, "and by flying over the airport, the aircraft had already committed a violation, since any aircraft that flies over the control area of an airport must, necessarily, make radio or visual contact in order to request the corresponding authorization. This is to avoid collisions, informing other aircraft that may be operating in the area, advising them of its location and vice versa."

We asked him about the aircraft. Was it truly a regular airliner?

"By flying so low (70 to 150 meters) at a distance of 5 to 10 km from the runway, its maneuvers could only be seen sideways on. No symbol identifying its nationality could be seen on the fuselage. This identification was also impossible to see as it flew parallel to the runway on its descent, as though making ready to land. But it continued the same route until it vanished into the nearby hills. Subsequently, eyewitnesses claimed having seen it flying over the local air club, which just so happens to be located on the same flight path it was following when it vanished.

Did that airplane ever return?

"Minutes later it reappeared following the same flight path, that is to say, from the West-Northwest, retracing the trajectory it followed when it vanished. It flew parallel to the runway, this time on its left, and near the El Condor ranch. That's where it made a full turn (nearly 360 degrees), very steep, finally vanishing into East-Southeast. It had a narrow body, trapezoidal wings, very broad at the root, with two turbines nearly joined together on both sides of the fuselage, yet not making the typical sound a jet, but rather a nearly-inaudible whistle. It was silver, with its tail section and bow painted black or dark blue. It was rather large, about the size of a DC-6. Those who saw it said it had no windows. That's all we've gathered."

And that's what the Bariloche airport director knows, and what we learned from his words. Now who's responsible for informing?

"The background information of the aforesaid incident is with the Argentinean Air Force Supreme Command, the higher aeronautical body in charge of the case," Gauna said.

So we left, feeling satisfied. We had managed to pierce the veil of silence and have a true image. Eyewitness accounts were abundant and it was possible to make a reconstruction. All that was needed was a final conclusion and descriptions of the device by those who managed to see it.

[...]

The strange machine was intelligently guided, without question. The conclusions are obvious and detailed below:

1) It was highly maneuverable.

2) Able to make 90 and 360 degree turns.

3) Constant low altitude and speed.

4) Jet powered.

5) Speed between 120 and 250 kmh.

6) Height from the ground: 150 to 250 kmh

7) Green light signals were aimed at it. It did not respond. It gave out a white flash (which means "return to your starting point" on the ground, but nothing in the air). It is unknown if this flash was a response or a solar effect.

These characteristics, according to experts, run contrary to the laws of aerodynamics. A jet cannot fly so slow and at that altitude without powerfully increasing the push of its turbines. Otherwise it would fall due to a lack of lift. Add to this the turns it made, which are uncanny for a conventional machine.

What does all of this mean? Evidently, that there is something in the sky watching us, and it will eventually be among us.

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Thus ends the investigation carried out by Alejandro Vignati. He interviewed nearly all of the witnesses, including airport administrators, technical and managerial staff alike. However, despite the fact that the viewers of the strange craft argued that it was a commercial airplane, yet one they could not identify, the local press at the time made hay with the sighting.

Hector Anganuzzi's "History of Flying Saucers in Argentina" appeared in 1976 and provided additional details regarding eyewitness statements and the involvement of the Air Force. We learn that in July 1968, Cornelio Gauna (the airport director) reported to Buenos Aires, to the Argentinean Air Force's quarter, in order to provide a report on the event. It even mentions that he was there for an entire week. Following the meeting, in a hastily convened press conference, he said: "All hypotheses suggesting the presence of a UFO must be undermined." He added that a photograph was believed to exist, taken by a tourist from the city of Rosario (we shall examine this claim, as no one ever saw this photo published in the media).

On 17 September 1968, according to Anganuzzi's book, the Air Force issued the following communiqué:

"Based on the investigation performed as result of a fly-over by an unidentified craft in the vicinity of the Airport of San Carlos de Bariloche on June 23, at approximately 13:30 hours, it turns out that this aircraft was a USAF RB-57 operating on a scientific mission from the El Plumerillo base in Mendoza. The aforementioned aircraft's flight constituted a violation of our country's air traffic standards. For this reason, and due to delays in getting to the bottom of the matter, the corresponding measures have been taken."

THE PHOTO THAT WASN’T

As I mentioned earlier, I said that we would return to Gauna’s statement regarding the publication of a photograph.

Luis Eduardo Pacheco, administrator of Rosario Watchers, one of Argentina’s earliest UFO mailing lists, published the photo as the one obtained by a tourist from Rosario, a city of which he is a native.

Researcher Vicente-Juan Ballester Olmos of the FOTOCAT site took the photographic document and followed up on case: “At the website of Argentinean researcher Luis Eduardo Pacheco, at a link that is currently unavailable, there is extensive information about it, including the photo of a landed UFO next to the airport’s facilities. Curiously, the event is dated 1974 rather than 1968, and it says that the Argentinean Air Force issued a communiqué on 15 September 1968 reporting “a fly-over by an unidentified aircraft over Bariloche” being due to a Canberra RB-57 belonging to a USAF squadron operating on scientific missions from the El Plumerillo Base…” Regardless of the actual facts and their explanation, my purpose here is to certify that the photograph associated with this event is hoaxed and that it bears no relationship to any sighting at that airport.

In fact, J.P. Gonzalez of the Fundación Anomalia has discovered that the photograph, which has undergone laboratory analysis, corresponds without a doubt with the Avrocar, the saucer-shaped Canadian craft that was tested with little success and scrapped in 1961.

THE STRANGE AIRCRAFT: PART OF A U.S. SUPER-MISSION - Operation Crowflight

On 16 November 1957, General Aramburu made known at 19:40 hours that elections would be held on 23 February 1957 and that the transfer of power would occur on May 1st.

At the end of 12th Aeronautica Week , the ties between La Libertadora and the United States experienced their best moment. Gone was the Perón governments “third position” foreign policy that so troubled the State Department’s interventionist designs. As a sample of this, Decree 4161, Article 1, forbade “the use of images, symbols, signs and expressions that were representative of Peronism, including a list of words among which “third position” could be found.

Those events of November 1957 were the first to become known as State policy. Years before, there had been endless secret “cooperation”.

So it was that following the gigantic display of military might by the Strategic Air Command at Ezeiza Airport, the CIA – under the leadership of John Foster Dulles – managed to get Aramburu to approve the development of “Project Crowflight” in the country. Thus, Argentina was the first nation to offer its territory to the Central Intelligence Agency for use as a strategic aerial espionage base.

On November 11, 1958, three U-2 spy planes reached Ezeiza with all of their civilian and military personnel. Six months later, the secrecy surrounding the U.S. mission was lifted. On 18 March 1959, the first presentation of the Lockheed U-2 “Dragon Lady” was made before the world press.

During the ceremony, Maj. Richard Atkins remarked on “atmospheric research”. Finally, the chief of mission, Col. John Shidal, reported that the flights would last a total of 18 months. The mission would be a joint operation with NASA.

Dr. Arturo Frondizi was elected in February 1958. The “Crowflight” missions continued to be carried out throughout his term, until May 1960. The Clarin newspaper reported on Friday, May 13, that three airplanes had arrived at Ezeiza to continue with Operation Crowflight.

These aircraft were U-2 Dragon Ladies. On May 1st, one had been downed over the USSR and its pilot, Francis Gary Powers, taken prisoner. Tensions between Moscow and Washington reached critical levels. The U.S. espionage scandal over the USSR, using U-2 aircraft, prompted Arturo Frondizi to suspend the Ezeiza-based Operation Crowflight.

As though none of this had happened, a delegation of scientists from the U.S. Department of Defense (DOD) arrived on May 15, 1960 by “invitation” of the Argentinean War Department. It was presided by Dr. Herbert F. York , and included a group of elite military instructors, advisers and U.S. Army technicians. Herbert York was acting at the time as Director of Research and Defense Engineering, the foremost strategic weapons design office for DOD. Among its physicists was Edward Teller (the “father of the H-Bomb), who would encourage Ronald Reagan to pursue the anti-missile shield known as “Star Wars.”

Only days from the U-2 incident, the U.S had gone to high alert, expecting likely Soviet reprisals. There is no explanation for why the head of the nuclear arsenal should have been giving “lectures” around Buenos Aires, even less that so many Pentagon scientists were with it. There are still fewer explanations as to the delegation of U.S. Army military instructors.

A declassified document from the State Department offers some answers:

a) The operations performed at Ezeiza were “restarted” under a new name.

b) Two new projects would be a continuation of the first one. 1958’s “Crowflight”, whose new approval was granted by the Argentinean government on 26 February 1960. Here we can see that the Aramburu Dictatorship initially approved these operations, and secondly, that they were ratified as soon as Frondizi had assumed office.

c) The two new projects would be carried out of Mendoza’s “El Plumerillo” airport under the names “Quick Dip” and “Skindiver”, respectively.

d) The aircraft would no longer be Lockheed U-2’s but rather, Martin/General Dynamics RB-57F Canberras, belonging to the “58th Weather Reconnaissance Squadron”

e) Given the date (17 September 1965) operations were authorized under the presidency of Arturo Illia.

f) Operation of both projects are ranked as “secret”

Project Quick Dip

The U.S. Taskforce consisted of 34 aircraft, 350 pilots, a mobile control tower, portable radar and a large civilian and military contingent. The “stars” were six giant B-52 bombers. The main craft had been designed to penetrate Soviet airspace for atomic bombing. But a test was necessary, with a demonstration of the Strategic Air Command’s ability to deliver a mortal blow in the event of a nuclear exchange.

The operation was dubbed “Quick Kick” and Buenos Aires was chosen. The enormous strategic bombers were refueled in-flight, proving they could reach Moscow with an atomic reprisal. What was never said is that there had been a fly-over of [Buenos Aires] by several aircraft conveying an arsenal of nuclear weapons.

The spy planes (U2 and RB57AF) participated in “Operation Crowflight” and “Quick Dip”, based at Ezeiza and El Plumerillo, under the guise of NASA operations, from 1958 to 1971.

The operation grew, and in September 1965, a decision was reached to conduct atmospheric sampling in the Mendoza area. Authorization was sought through the embassy to station two RB-57Fs sporadically at El Plumerillo, which would officially take air samples for meteorological research.

This operation was presented as a continuation of “Crowflight”, which was still taking place in Australia at the time.

The idea was to have a couple of those airplanes, based at Kirtland AFB in New Mexico, to fly to Argentina every two weeks, conducting sampling for four or five days between Mendoza and southern Santa Cruz province.

For each flight cycle, ground personnel and equipment was transported from Panama’s Albrook Base, employing USAF planes. The ground equipment included aeronautical, communications and oxygen gear, with a pick-up truck especially outfitted to prepare pilots for high-altitude flights with pressure suits. Tractors for moving the planes, as well as other ground vehicles, formed part of the shipment

The operation had to be self-sufficient. One of the guidelines was never asking the Argentinean Air Force for assistance only in case of emergencies, but this wasn’t always the case.

The project was highly classified. According to the memorandum submitted to the local embassy, the cover story for the operation would involve radioactive fallout sampling. With the typical hypocrisy found in such documents, it is made clear that “this is the truth, of course”, adding that official reports on the subject would be published every so often, available to the Argentinean authorities if so requested.

(Research work carried out by sociologists Viviana Demaria and José Figueroa)

Declassified document photo: Pablo Luciano Potenze

Date of the investigation: 2010

Source: CEFORA : http://www.cefora.com.ar/modules/news/article.php?storyid=114