Cannon AFB and Clovis NM: Three-Day UFO Flap with Military Response
On January 21, 1976, according to a National Military Command Center report, two UFOs are reported near the flight line at Cannon AFB at 3:55 a.m. Security Police describe them as 25 yards in diameter, gold or silver with blue light on top, hole in the middle, and red light on bottom. Air Force checks radar and weather data. Near Clovis, 10 miles away, a series of UFO sightings lasts from January 21-23: more than 30 silent objects with pulsating lights reported by civilians and police, covered by UPI wire services. A group of 20 objects hovers over Sandia Elementary School. Town Marshall Willie Ronquillo chases a silent object at 900 feet. Former servicemen later tell Brian Vike they saw approximately a dozen UFOs through a Starlight Scope, with Flight Ops scrambling two F-111s. Burned circles and dead cows found in farmer's fields nearby. Ray Stanford determines a newspaper photograph shows Saturn, not a UFO.
Background
On January 21, 1976, Cannon AFB in New Mexico experienced a UFO sighting reported by Security Police near the flight line. This event appears to have been part of a larger series of sightings near Clovis, New Mexico, lasting for three days and involving numerous reports from civilians and law enforcement.
The Incident At 3:55 a.m. on January 21, 1976, two UFOs were reported near the flight line at Cannon AFB, New Mexico. Security Police described the objects as being 25 yards in diameter, gold or silver in color, with a blue light on top, a hole in the middle, and a red light on the bottom. Simultaneously, a series of UFO sightings occurred near Clovis, New Mexico, less than 10 miles away, lasting from January 21 to January 23.
During the Clovis sightings, over 30 silent objects with pulsating lights were reported during night hours by civilians and police officers. On one occasion, multiple callers reported approximately 20 objects hovering over the Sandia Elementary School. In Texaco, Town Marshall Willie Ronquillo reported observing a silent object with green, yellow, and blue lights hovering about 900 feet above the town.
Investigation The Air Force initiated a radar check following the initial report at Cannon AFB. The National Military Command Center also documented the initial Cannon AFB sighting. A major at Cannon AFB, serving as command post controller, stated that the base received numerous inquiries regarding the sightings.
Town Marshall Ronquillo pursued the object he observed near Texaco as it moved northward, and other police officers also reported seeing what appeared to be the same object. A spokesman at Reese AFB, located 90 miles east of Clovis, stated that nothing unusual had been detected on base radar. Weather inversion data was also checked.