Needles crash reports (2008)
From the UAP Encyclopedia, the open encyclopedia of UFO and UAP history · 🗓️ Event
Contents 8
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| Date | 14 May 2008 |
|---|---|
| Topics | Crashes & retrievals (topic), Nuclear & missile sites (topic), Secrecy & cover-up (topic) |
| People | George Knapp |
| Testimony | Shellenberger testimony, p. 166 |
| Year | 2008 in UFO history |
| Timeline | 2008 on the UAP Timeline |
| Sources | 5 |
In the early hours of 14 May 2008, witnesses near Needles, California, said a large, glowing object fell from the sky just west of the Colorado River and that helicopters arrived soon afterwards and carried it away. Las Vegas journalist George Knapp reported the story for KLAS-TV's I-Team that July.[1]
The witnesses
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Frank Costigan, a former chief of airport security at Los Angeles International Airport, said he got up at 3 a.m. to let his cat out and saw a bright, fiery object, bright enough to light the ground, moving fast from the northeast, slowing and then speeding up before it went behind a hill. He heard no crash. Hours later David Hayes, owner of the Needles radio station KTOX, said he saw a convoy of dark vehicles with U.S. government plates, led by a four-wheel-drive truck with a dome on top, and that the men inside had a military bearing; one vehicle later seemed to watch his station.[1]
The helicopters
A man who lived on a houseboat on the river, known to Hayes as "Bob", said the object came down about 100 yards west of the river with a thump. He told journalist Linda Moulton Howe that at least five helicopters arrived in formation about 17 minutes later, including a large sky crane, which lifted the still-glowing, oblong object, about the size of a semi-trailer, and flew off toward Las Vegas. A caller from Laughlin said the airport there had been busy that night with "Janet" flights, the airline that carries workers to Area 51, though no one was on duty to confirm it.[1]
Later reporting
Knapp returned to the case in later reports, including on his Mystery Wire site.[2]
Assessment
No official explanation has been given, and no record of a crash or recovery has been released. The witnesses' accounts suggest a quick recovery operation, which would fit a classified drone or test vehicle from one of the region's military ranges as well as other explanations.[1]
People and topics
- George Knapp — Las Vegas journalist who broke the Bob Lazar story and co-wrote Skinwalkers at the Pentagon.
- Unidentified flying object — An object in the sky that can't be identified; the older term for UAP.
On the Timeline
- Chester Lytle's Kirtland sighting (1 January 2008) — A Manhattan Project contractor says he saw a domed disc through a telescope during a nuclear test.
- DARPA Advanced Aerospace System Concepts (June 2008) — A DARPA budget line describing advanced aerospace concepts becomes public.
See every 2008 event on the UAP Timeline →
References
- George Knapp, "I-Team: New UFO mystery surfaces", KLAS-TV (July 2008), via Pegasus Research Consortium · thelivingmoon.com · archived copy
- "Strange object crashes in Needles; investigation leads to secretive government agency", Mystery Wire · mysterywire.com · archived copy
- I-Team: Was the Needles UFO a secret military craft? — 8 News Now · 8newsnow.com · archived copy
- UFO Hunters, 'Alien Crashes' — History · history.com · archived copy
- The Needles UFO crash: what really happened? — Bill Knell · billknell.blogspot.com · archived copy
Further reading
- Nevada Test Site — Wikipedia · en.wikipedia.org · archived copy
This page was last edited on 29 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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