Norfolk, Virginia: Pan American DC-4 Crew Encounters Eight 100-Foot Discs in Echelon Formation

The Encounter

At 8:10 p.m., July 14, 1952, a Pan American Airways DC-4 was approaching Norfolk, Virginia, on its way to Miami. The captain and third officer noticed a red brilliance in the sky at a much lower altitude. As the brightness grew nearer, it resolved into six separate bright objects at perhaps 2,000 feet. The captain later described their shape as clearly outlined and circular with well-defined edges — not phosphorescent or fuzzy. The upper surfaces glowed red-orange. They were in narrow echelon formation, each vehicle successively higher. The men estimated the diameter of each as 100 feet.

Maneuvers

Suddenly the lead object decelerated; the second and third wavered and seemed to almost pass the first as all six slowed down. When almost directly below the plane, they all flipped on edge simultaneously. The pilots could now see that the saucers were coin-shaped, their edges unlit, and about 15 feet thick. While still tilted, the formation reversed its echelon order then tilted back to horizontal. Two more identical but brighter UFOs darted into view from below the plane. These two proceeded to join the original six. All eight extinguished their lighting momentarily. Then they arched up over the airliner and sped west, blinking out non-sequentially.

Military Response

Upon landing, the crew was questioned at length by representatives of AFOSI who told them of several other groups of observers, including one USAF officer. AFOSI's classified cable outlining the event was sent to Army and Navy intelligence, the Armed Forces Security Agency (forerunner of the NSA), the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and the CIA.

One of the most detailed multi-object airline crew encounters, with AFOSI classified cable sent to all major intelligence agencies.