Harrisonburg, VA: Project Blue Book investigates UFO landing site
On January 12, 1965, Air Force personnel from Wright-Patterson AFB examined the alleged landing site near Harrisonburg. Using different equipment and methods, investigators found no radiation evidence, contradicting earlier civilian measurements and leading to case dismissal.
Background
Nearly three weeks after the initial incident, Technical Sergeant David Moody and Staff Sergeant Harold Jones arrived from Wright-Patterson Air Force Base to conduct an official investigation. They were accompanied by the original witness Horace Burns, Professor Ernest Gehman, and Clair Weaver, who served as president of the college's UFO Investigators group.
The military team utilized a Model 2586 Beta-Gamma Survey Meter to examine the meadow for residual radiation. Sergeant Moody reported detecting no significant radiation levels during their survey. However, Professor Gehman observed methodological inconsistencies in the Air Force testing procedure, noting that Moody quickly adjusted the meter when readings began to rise. The investigation occurred under challenging conditions, as snow had covered the ground and the meadow had been mowed for hay since the alleged landing.
The final Project Blue Book report concluded that no evidence supported the occurrence of a UFO landing, citing the absence of physical depressions in the terrain and the lack of corroborating radiation measurements. Gehman contested these findings, arguing that the equipment employed was unsuitable for detecting alpha particles and that investigators failed to properly consult all available witnesses.