William Nash

William B. Nash was an American commercial airline pilot who became known for one of the most significant UFO sightings of the early 1950s. Nash was a former military pilot with extensive experience in aircraft recognition and flight behavior.

On July 14, 1952, while flying a Pan American World Airways flight over Chesapeake Bay, Virginia, Nash and co-pilot William H. Fortenberry witnessed a remarkable aerial phenomenon:

• Observed eight glowing disc-shaped objects in a tight echelon formation
• Objects appeared approximately 100 feet in diameter and illuminated from within
• The objects maneuvered at high speeds and executed sharp turns before ascending rapidly
• Their detailed report included precise measurements relative to landmarks like Norfolk Naval Air Station
• The sighting was corroborated by multiple independent ground witnesses

The incident received significant official attention and credibility:

• The U.S. Air Force's Project Blue Book classified the Nash-Fortenberry incident as 'unknown', marking it as a significant unsolved case
• Nash's credible testimony as an experienced aviator lent substantial weight to the event
• UFOlogists noted that the pilots' observations allowed for relatively precise measurements of the objects' motion and size

Birth and death years are not widely documented in available sources. Nash passed away on March 13, 2019, at the age of 101 in Fort Myers, Florida.