Today In UFO History May 29th 1950

Today in UFO History - Capt. Willis T. Sperry Sighting

May 29, 1950 — nr. Mount Vernon, VA

9:20 p.m. Capt. Willis T. Sperry, copilot Bill Gates, flight engineer Robert Arnholt, a stewardess, and several passengers on an American Airlines DC-6 airliner headed southwest out of Washington, D.C., en route to Nashville, Tennessee.

They are flying at 7,500 feet at 250 mph. About 7 miles west of Mount Vernon, Virginia, Gates alerts Sperry to a bright blue or bluish light ahead of them and increasing in size. Sperry makes an evasive 45° turn to the right and the UFO UAP passes from 11 o’clock to 7 o’clock position to the left at a slightly higher altitude.

The light very briefly passes between the aircraft and the upper part of the moon, revealing an object with a long silhouette (somewhat reminiscent of a submarine) without visible wings or empennage. The blue light is on the front of the object. Sperry turns left back onto his original course to get the object back in view, but it apparently stays stationary for about 30 seconds.

Gates then notices the object circling around to the right side. Sperry banks right again, while the object paces the airliner about 20–30 seconds before it climbs to the east at a 30° angle at “fantastic” speed and disappears. [Eberhart]

Sources: ( Jeff Knox FB. )

"New Type of Saucer Is Reported -- Like A Submarine With Lights," The Asheville Times (Asheville,NC), May 30, 1950, p.16;

"Saucer Like Sub Reported By Pilot," The Buffalo News (Buffalo,NY), May 31, 1950, p.64;

"Airliner Pilot Reports New Type Of Flying Saucer," The Sacramento Bee (Sacramento,CA), May 31, 1950, p.31;

"Strange Craft Seen by Pilot Near Capital," Fort Worth Star-Telegram (Fort Worth, TX), June 01, 1950, p.8;

Donald E. Keyhoe, “Flight 117 and the Flying Saucer,” True, August 1950, pp. 78–79; 

"The Mail Box," Flying (Magazine),September 1950, p.64;

Loren E. Gross, UFOs, a History: Volume 6, April–July 1950, The Author, 1990, pp. 51–53; 

Brad Sparks, Blue Books Unknown Catalogue, Case 376, p. 91;

Interview with Captain Sperry by W.B Klemperer, February 4, 1955;

Sperry letter to Robert Barrow (1976);