Byron D. Varner

Byron D. Varner was a U.S. Navy veteran who served as an aviation cadet during World War II and later as a Public Affairs Officer for the final thirteen years of his naval career. He authored a privately published book in 1996, now out of print, documenting UFO cases, including a notable 1945 incident at the Hanford nuclear plant. In this account, Varner detailed testimony from Rolan D. Powell, a 19-year-old Navy pilot at Pasco Naval Air Station, Washington. Powell described an alert triggered by radar detecting a fast-moving object that hovered motionless above Hanford. Pilots in F6F fighters scrambled, reaching 37,000 feet—their operational limit—but failed to intercept it due to fuel and engine issues. Varner noted the event's suppression under wartime security, with no local media coverage despite multiple witnesses. His work was referenced by NICAP and ufologists, contributing to early UFO intercept documentation near sensitive nuclear sites.