Levelland UFO case
From the UAP Encyclopedia, the open encyclopedia of UFO and UAP history · 🛸 Case
Contents 5
| Type | Case |
|---|---|
| Also known as | Levelland |
| On the Timeline | 1 event, 1957 |
The Levelland UFO case is a series of reports made on the night of 2–3 November 1957 near Levelland, Texas, a small town west of Lubbock, in which several drivers said a glowing, egg-shaped object passed close to them and caused their vehicles' engines and lights to fail. It came days after the launch of the Soviet satellite Sputnik 2 and is a classic example of a reported "electromagnetic effects" case.[1][2]
The reports
Late on the evening of 2 November, farm workers Pedro Saucedo and Joe Salaz telephoned the Levelland police to say that a bright, torpedo-shaped object had swept over their truck, killing its engine and lights, which came back on once it left. Over the next few hours, other motorists, including Jim Wheeler, Texas Tech student Newell Wright, Frank Williams, Ronald Martin and James Long, reported a large glowing object, often egg-shaped, sitting on or hovering over the road, with their engines and headlights failing until it rose away. The police received about 15 reports that night. Sheriff Weir Clem reported seeing a red light at about 1:30 a.m., and Fire Chief Ray Jones also reported a sighting.[1][3]
Air Force investigation
Project Blue Book sent a sergeant who spent seven hours in Levelland and interviewed three witnesses. The Air Force concluded that the sightings were caused by a severe electrical storm, most likely ball lightning or St. Elmo's fire, and that the engine failures were due to wet electrical circuits. Harvard astronomer Donald Menzel agreed with the ball lightning explanation.[1][2]
Criticism
Atmospheric physicist James McDonald and astronomer J. Allen Hynek, the Air Force's own consultant, later disputed the storm explanation, noting that weather records showed no thunderstorm or lightning in the area that night; Hynek said he had agreed with the Air Force too hastily. Critics also noted that most of the witnesses were never interviewed. The Levelland reports were followed by similar sightings near White Sands, New Mexico, on 3–4 November, part of a short national wave.[1][4]
On the UAP Timeline
- Pantex nuclear plant sightings (1957) (7 November 1957) — Guards at the Pantex nuclear plant in Texas report three flashing objects landing nearby.
References
- Levelland UFO case — Wikipedia · en.wikipedia.org · archived copy
- Edward J. Ruppelt, The Report on Unidentified Flying Objects — Google Books · books.google.com · archived copy
- "No Saucers In Reports UFOs Seen", Montreal Gazette (16 Nov 1957) · news.google.com · archived copy
- Statement of James E. McDonald, Symposium on UFOs (1968) · files.ncas.org · archived copy
This page was last edited on 31 October 2026. Articles are written in our own words from the sources listed under References; disputed claims are attributed to the people who made them.
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