Oliver Henderson and the Roswell flight
From the UAP Encyclopedia, the open encyclopedia of UFO and UAP history · 🗓️ Event
Contents 8
| Date | 9 July 1991 |
|---|---|
| Topics | Crashes & retrievals (topic), Beings & bodies (topic), Military encounters (topic) |
| People | Oliver Henderson |
| Testimony | Shellenberger testimony, p. 111 |
| Year | 1991 in UFO history |
| Timeline | 1991 on the UAP Timeline |
| Sources | 8 |
Oliver Wendell "Pappy" Henderson (1915–1986) was a decorated bomber pilot who flew transport aircraft for the 509th Bomb Group at Roswell in 1947. After his death, his widow swore that he had told her he flew wreckage and alien bodies from the Roswell crash to Ohio.[1][2]
Henderson
Henderson was born on 13 June 1915. In the Second World War he flew B-24s with the 446th Bomb Squadron, completing 30 missions over Germany and earning two Distinguished Flying Crosses and the Air Medal with four oak leaf clusters. After postings at Galveston and Pueblo he was assigned to Roswell, where the family stayed about 13 years. There he ran the so-called "Green Hornet Airline", flying C-54s and C-47s carrying VIPs, scientists and materials to the Pacific atomic tests, work requiring a top-secret clearance. He later ran a construction business in Roswell and died on 25 March 1986.[1]
The story
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According to his widow, Sappho Henderson, in 1980 or 1981 he saw a newspaper article about a UFO crash near Roswell in a San Diego grocery store and told her he had wanted to tell her for years that he was the pilot who flew the wreckage to Dayton, Ohio. He described the beings as small with large heads, and said the bodies had been packed in dry ice. Researcher Leonard Stringfield, who heard of the story through a reader in Hawaii in contact with Henderson's daughter, identified the article as a piece in the tabloid Globe of 17 February 1981.[1][3]
The affidavit
Sappho Henderson signed an affidavit on 9 July 1991 in Los Angeles County, stating that she was not paid for it. Their daughter, Mary Groode, gave a similar account, and a fellow veteran, John Kromschroeder, said Henderson had shown him a piece of metal and spoken about the crash. The statements were among many Roswell witness accounts collected in 1991–1993 by the Fund for UFO Research.[1][2][3]
Assessment
The account is second-hand and was given decades after the event, five years after Henderson's death. It also reached Stringfield through a chain of intermediaries, and the versions differ slightly on the destination, Wright Field or Dayton. Supporters see it as a significant family account from a pilot in a position to know; skeptics note that Henderson apparently told the story only after Roswell became famous in the late 1970s.[1][4]
People and topics
- Oliver Henderson — Roswell transport pilot who reportedly told his family he flew crash debris and bodies.
- Roswell incident — The July 1947 recovery of debris near Roswell, New Mexico, announced as a "flying disc" and then explained as a weather balloon.
- 509th Bomb Group — The nuclear-armed bomber group based at Roswell in 1947.
- Roswell — The New Mexico town at the center of the 1947 crash story.
- Wright-Patterson Air Force Base — The Ohio air base that housed Project Blue Book and is linked to the Hangar 18 legend.
- Unidentified flying object — An object in the sky that can't be identified; the older term for UAP.
On the Timeline
- Navy linguist and the Soviet crash report (July 1991) — A Navy linguist says he decoded a Soviet report of a crash split between England and Germany.
- NRO Blue Fire document (28 July 1991) — An alleged NRO document warns of UFO-group protests near Area 51.
See every 1991 event on the UAP Timeline →
References
- Patrick Gross, "Sappho Henderson", Roswell witness page, UFOs at close sight · ufology.patrickgross.org · archived copy
- "Oliver 'Pappy' Henderson", Roswell Proof · roswellproof.com · archived copy
- "Oliver Wendell 'Pappy' Henderson", NICAP · nicap.org · archived copy
- Roswell incident — Wikipedia · en.wikipedia.org · archived copy
- The Roswell witness affidavits (1991–93) · ufopedia.pages.dev · archived copy
- Roswell flight witnesses — Patrick Gross · ufologie.patrickgross.org · archived copy
- Henderson affidavits — RoswellProof via UFO Scans · ufoscans.com · archived copy
- Roswell witness file: Mary Groode (daughter) — Patrick Gross · ufologie.patrickgross.org · archived copy
Further reading
- Roswell incident — Wikipedia · en.wikipedia.org · archived copy
- UFOs and the Air Force: records — National Archives · archives.gov · 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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