Save yourself some time and trouble by reading this post before you download the 77-page MUFON report about the January 8, 2008 incident occurring between 6:30 and 9 p.m. in the Dublin-Stephenville area of north Texas. Witnesses claimed to have seen an absolutely silent, extraordinarily large craft (perhaps up to 1000 feet in size) moving at incredible speeds (estimated 2000 mph — yes, that’s two THOUSAND). MUFON investigators Glen Schulze and Robert Powell reviewed radar reports from five sites and compared them to eyewitness testimony. MUFON submitted ten separate FOIA requests to gather the data, and obtained “precise information on the location of all military and commercial aircraft in the airspace of interest at all times during 4 p.m. to 8 p.m.” They sifted through the radar data (2.8 million radar returns from the FAA alone) and reviewed testimony from seventeen eyewitnesses (a very large number given the narrow window of observation). Witnesses included a constable, chief of police, private pilot, and a former air traffic controller.
The huge, bright object displayed behavior typical of many sightings: unbelievably rapid acceleration and deceleration, hovering and sudden trajectory changes. Interestingly, the object traveled on a direct course towards Crawford and the “western White House” Bush ranch, approaching within 10 miles of the ranch at its closest — all without a required transponder. Right, wrong or indifferent, it’s not exactly comforting to know that a radar-confirmed object without a transponder was on its way to a sensitive target without any military response despite the fact that military aircraft where flying maneuvers in the immediate vicinity. (NOTE: the president was not at the ranch on this date).
Even less reassuring is the conclusion by MUFON that military activity in the area was unusually heavy that evening. At one point, F-16s flew within a mile of the object. No voice recordings from the jets were available via FOIA requests, but the F-16s did not appear to respond to the object in any way despite the fact that the object was clearly visible on radar. Tellingly, military aircraft twice veered out of Military Training Routes and into civilian airspace over Stephenville during the sighting interval. No explanation has yet to be provided by Carswell AFB.
More questions than answers? The missing puzzle pieces might have been found in the remaining reports requested by MUFON’s unanswered FOIA requests. It seems that obfuscation continues to be the norm with the US government.
Related Area51.Org Posts: I Was on the Grassy Knoll: Conspiracy Report, Dan Akroyd: Blues Brother, UFOlogist, Hairy Reasoning, Chupacabra Roadkill
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August 1st, 2008 at 7:35 am |
[...] part 2 Link #3 – Stephenville, Texas Radar Report from 2008 incident MUFON Report on Stephenville, Texas: What You Need to Know | area51.org LINK #4 – Radio Interview with Dr. Edgar Mitchell (6th man to walk on the moon, and also holds [...]