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3 December 2005
Animal Reaction
Feature:
At 10:20 PM, the witness and his dog went outdoors. The witness heard an intense clicking sound
coming from the sky and saw a dark object as it moved against the
background of
stars. The witness described his dog’s reaction as follows: “My dog was with me and directed her
attention in the general direction of this object’s flight throughout
its
course. She had been romping with me on
coming out of the house but without spoken word [she] stopped and
directed her
attention to the previously described area [dark object flight path].”
The sighting:
This sighting is listed as a Blue Book unknown.
Weather:
Castle
AFB
weather station reported thin/broken clouds at 20,000 feet, 12 mile
visibility
and surface winds as north at 9 mph.
The witness reported his area (1 mile west of Merced and 7 miles
south
of Castle AFB) was more sheltered and had no appreciable surface wind.
The witness is a Major in the Active USAF
Reserves. He is a
pilot, with 2200 hours flight time, including night flying in WWII.
He reported the
sighting to the Intelligence
Officer at Castle Field.
Duration of
sighting: 35-45 seconds
(including sound and
visual)
The witness came outdoors with his dog and
heard a “clicking
noise of considerable intensity.”
He
stopped, locating the sound as coming from the sky about 40 degrees
from
eastern horizon.
He
observed a dark
shape moving against the background of stars in a flight path to the
West or
NW.
He described the object as a solid mass whose
size he
estimated as 4-5 feet in diameter and whose altitude he estimated as
considerably less than 1,000 feet.
On
two occasions the reflection of streetlights, located ½ block
behind the
witness, made the object appear to have a dull-surface and one of light
colored
metal.
Also, the reflection of the
streetlights
off the surface of the object made the witness think that the
under-surface was
curved.
No exhaust trail was seen.
No lights or flame observed.
No whistle or roar, only a clicking sound
that maintained the same pitch and speed, but altered in loudness (see
below).
The clicking sound was compared to
the
beaters of a home mixer that were not properly meshed.
The dark object moved slowly going the West or NW,
made a
90-degree-arc turn to the South or SW.
The clicking sound became louder on the new heading. The clicking sound stopped when it was the
loudest (seemingly overhead relative to the witness) and the witness
was unable
to detect the object after the sound ceased.
No EM effects or physiological effects were reported.
Source:
Memorandum to Director, FBI, from SAC, Los Angeles, dated
May 13, 1949.
Copy of the memorandum
came from MUFON Files with thanks to John Schuessler.
Memo copied below: