| Revision as of 14:17, 18 May 2023 editUndercoverClassicist (talk | contribs)Autopatrolled, Extended confirmed users, IP block exemptions16,341 edits Reinstated cited material removed for no good policy reason: quotations do not have to be "remarkable" or remarked on by a second source to be included, and a source from a highly-respected newspaper cannot be discounted based on a user's WP:OR into the journalist's Twitter feed. Promised discussion on Talk page has not materialised.Tags: Manual revert Reverted 2017 wikitext editor← Previous edit | Revision as of 17:58, 19 May 2023 edit undoජපස (talk | contribs)Extended confirmed users, Pending changes reviewers, Rollbackers60,480 edits Restored revision 1155502581 by ජපස (talk): Revert WP:POVPUSHTags: Twinkle UndoNext edit → | ||
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| In Bowyer's report to the British ] he said he saw two bright, stationary objects; he subsequently gave various conflicting assessments of their size, ranging from that of a large aircraft to that of a city. Two passengers on Bowyer's aircraft said that they saw unusual coloured lights at the same time. The Civil Aviation Authority made no further investigation into the incident. | In Bowyer's report to the British ] he said he saw two bright, stationary objects; he subsequently gave various conflicting assessments of their size, ranging from that of a large aircraft to that of a city. Two passengers on Bowyer's aircraft said that they saw unusual coloured lights at the same time. The Civil Aviation Authority made no further investigation into the incident. | ||
| The incident has been widely cited by believers in ], though Bowyer distanced himself from the suggestion that he had claimed to see an alien vessel. The sighting was mentioned in stories published by the ], ], ] and |
The incident has been widely cited by believers in ], though Bowyer distanced himself from the suggestion that he had claimed to see an alien vessel. The sighting was mentioned in stories published by the ], ], ], and ] . | ||
| ==Reported sighting== | ==Reported sighting== | ||
| Line 86: | Line 86: | ||
| ===Second pilot's account=== | ===Second pilot's account=== | ||
| ] | ] | ||
| According to Bowyer's account, he had radioed an air traffic controller between the two sightings, and was informed by the controller that another pilot, flying to nearby ] from the ], had seen a similar phenomenon |
According to Bowyer's account, he had radioed an air traffic controller between the two sightings, and was informed by the controller that another pilot, flying to nearby ] from the ], had seen a similar phenomenon.{{sfn|Campbell|2021}} | ||
| When interviewed by '']'', a British online newspaper, Paul Kelly, who had been the duty air traffic controller on the island of Jersey{{sfn|Lewis-Kraus|2021}} and spoken to Bowyer during the incident, said that he had seen nothing on radar, but received what he called a "similar report" at the same time from a pilot from the Channel Islands airline ]. According to Kelly, the second pilot had been passing the island of ] when he reported "an object behind him to his left". Kelly reported that "the description was very similar to Captain Bowyer's" and that the pilot had given its altitude as {{convert|1950|ft}}, approximately the same as Bowyer had.{{sfn|Haines|2007}} | When interviewed by '']'', a British online newspaper, Paul Kelly, who had been the duty air traffic controller on the island of Jersey{{sfn|Lewis-Kraus|2021}} and spoken to Bowyer during the incident, said that he had seen nothing on radar, but received what he called a "similar report" at the same time from a pilot from the Channel Islands airline ]. According to Kelly, the second pilot had been passing the island of ] when he reported "an object behind him to his left". Kelly reported that "the description was very similar to Captain Bowyer's" and that the pilot had given its altitude as {{convert|1950|ft}}, approximately the same as Bowyer had.{{sfn|Haines|2007}} | ||
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| ==Bowyer's report== | ==Bowyer's report== | ||
| After landing in Alderney, Bowyer made an official report to the ], labelling the incident as a "]"; his report appeared in '']'' magazine in June 2007.{{sfn|Evening Standard|2007}} Bowyer added a sketch of what he had seen to this report, in which he described the objects as approximately the size of a "reasonably large town."{{sfn|Lewis-Kraus|2021}} Bowyer subsequently flew the return leg of his flight to Southampton, but did not see the apparent objects again.{{sfn|Campbell|2021}} | After landing in Alderney, Bowyer made an official report to the ], labelling the incident as a "]"; his report appeared in '']'' magazine in June 2007.{{sfn|Evening Standard|2007}} Bowyer added a sketch of what he had seen to this report, in which he described the objects as approximately the size of a "reasonably large town."{{sfn|Lewis-Kraus|2021}} Bowyer subsequently flew the return leg of his flight to Southampton, but did not see the apparent objects again.{{sfn|Campbell|2021}} By 25 April, the British ] (MoD) had stated that it would not investigate the reported sighting.{{sfn|BBC News|2007}} Approximately a week after the reported sighting, the MoD stated the incident had taken place in French airspace and so was outside its responsibility.{{sfn|Lewis-Kraus|2021}} | ||
| The British government's publication of the incident reads: | |||
| {{blockquote|First object was bright orange/yellow. There was a gap in light or darker area. Second object was identical.{{sfn|United Kingdom Government|2007}}}} | |||
| By 25 April, the British ] (MoD) had stated that it would not investigate the reported sighting.{{sfn|BBC News|2007}} Approximately a week after the reported sighting, the MoD stated the incident had taken place in French airspace and so was outside its responsibility.{{sfn|Lewis-Kraus|2021}} | |||
| Bowyer later reported to the BBC that he was "pretty shook-up" by what he saw, describing the incident as "pretty scary".{{sfn|BBC News|2007}} He rejected the suggestion that he had claimed to see an alien vessel, only remarking that he had "never seen anything like it before in all years of flying."{{sfn|Evening Standard|2007}} He also accepted the possibility that he had seen ]s,{{sfn|Rohrer|2007}} a scientifically-debated phenomenon where flashes of light appear over areas of seismic activity,{{sfn|Derr|St-Laurent|Freund|Thériault|2011|p=165}} connected to the ] that took place on 28 April.{{sfn|Rohrer|2007}} | Bowyer later reported to the BBC that he was "pretty shook-up" by what he saw, describing the incident as "pretty scary".{{sfn|BBC News|2007}} He rejected the suggestion that he had claimed to see an alien vessel, only remarking that he had "never seen anything like it before in all years of flying."{{sfn|Evening Standard|2007}} He also accepted the possibility that he had seen ]s,{{sfn|Rohrer|2007}} a scientifically-debated phenomenon where flashes of light appear over areas of seismic activity,{{sfn|Derr|St-Laurent|Freund|Thériault|2011|p=165}} connected to the ] that took place on 28 April.{{sfn|Rohrer|2007}} | ||
| According to Matthew Campbell, writer for''The Times'', Bowyer's report is "regarded as one of the most impressive and perplexing testimonies to have found its way into {{abbr|MoD|Ministry of Defence}} archives".{{sfn|Campbell|2021}} In 2008, the British newspaper '']'' reported on the incident in connection with what it called a "huge rise" in reported UFO sightings in the United Kingdom.{{sfn|Cleland|2008}} | |||
| == Further reading == | == Further reading == | ||
Revision as of 17:58, 19 May 2023
Reported UFO sighting| An editor has nominated this article for deletion. You are welcome to participate in the deletion discussion, which will decide whether or not to retain it.Feel free to improve the article, but do not remove this notice before the discussion is closed. For more information, see the guide to deletion. Find sources: "2007 Alderney UFO sighting" – news · newspapers · books · scholar · JSTOR%5B%5BWikipedia%3AArticles+for+deletion%2F2007+Alderney+UFO+sighting%5D%5DAFD |
 The island of Alderney, above which the reported sighting took place. | |
| Date | 23 April 2007 |
|---|---|
| Time | Approximately 14:09 (UTC+0) |
| Duration | Approximately 0:09:00 |
| Location | Over Alderney, Channel Islands |
| Coordinates | 49°42′N 02°22′W / 49.700°N 2.367°W / 49.700; -2.367 |
| Type | UFO sighting |
| First reporter | Ray Bowyer |
| Participants |
|
The 2007 Alderney UFO sighting was the sighting of an unidentified flying object over the island of Alderney, in the English Channel, on 23 April 2007. Ray Bowyer, a pilot flying south towards Alderney, reported the sighting to Paul Kelly, an air traffic controller on the island of Jersey, around 14:09, at which point Kelly told him that a second pilot had reported a similar observation.
In Bowyer's report to the British Civil Aviation Authority he said he saw two bright, stationary objects; he subsequently gave various conflicting assessments of their size, ranging from that of a large aircraft to that of a city. Two passengers on Bowyer's aircraft said that they saw unusual coloured lights at the same time. The Civil Aviation Authority made no further investigation into the incident.
The incident has been widely cited by believers in ufology, though Bowyer distanced himself from the suggestion that he had claimed to see an alien vessel. The sighting was mentioned in stories published by the BBC, The Times, The Daily Telegraph, and The New Yorker .
Reported sighting
On 23 April 2007, Ray Bowyer, a fifty-year-old pilot with eighteen years flying experience for the Guernsey-based airline Aurigny, was flying a Britten-Norman Trislander from the British port of Southampton towards Alderney, a small island near Guernsey in the Channel Islands, off the French coast. His aircraft was flying at 4,000 feet (1,200 m), approximately 30 miles (48 km) from Alderney. In the British government's publication of Bowyer's report, the time of the reported sighting was given as 14:09, though The New Yorker reported it as 14:06 following a 2021 interview with Bowyer.
Bowyer reported seeing "a cigar-shaped brilliant white light" in the sky. He stated that he initially suspected that it might be reflected light from greenhouses on the nearby island of Guernsey, but subsequently judged it to be stationary, approximately the size of a Boeing 737 and flying at an altitude of around 2,000 feet (610 m) at a distance of 10 miles (16 km) from his own aircraft. According to Bowyer's report, he approached the object, reassessing its distance as closer to 40 miles (64 km) and the size of the object as "as much as a mile wide". In 2021, Bowyer said that the object was "the size of five or six battleships", and that it had been "a very sharply defined, solid, bright yellow-gold object with a couple of black bands on the side that were kind of shimmering". A BBC article published in July 2007, two months after the incident, quoted Bowyer as describing the object as "like a CD on its edge".
Bowyer said that he approached the light and looked at it through his binoculars, and later remarked that he had been "able to look at this fantastic light without discomfort". He reported seeing a second object shortly after the first, which he said had moved in formation with the first set of lights. The Evening Standard, a British newspaper, quoted Bowyer as describing this object as "exactly the same … further away", being closer to the island of Guernsey. He stated that it was "clearly visual" for approximately nine minutes.
According to Bowyer, the passengers on his aircraft had noticed the light, one of whom had tapped him on the shoulder to ask about it; Bowyer handed the passenger his binoculars to observe the apparent object. Another passenger, named Kate Russell, would later say that she and her husband John had seen the objects, which she described as "sunlight-coloured". John Russell, meanwhile, reported seeing "an orange light … like an elongated oval".
Second pilot's account
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According to Bowyer's account, he had radioed an air traffic controller between the two sightings, and was informed by the controller that another pilot, flying to nearby Jersey from the Isle of Man, had seen a similar phenomenon.
When interviewed by The Register, a British online newspaper, Paul Kelly, who had been the duty air traffic controller on the island of Jersey and spoken to Bowyer during the incident, said that he had seen nothing on radar, but received what he called a "similar report" at the same time from a pilot from the Channel Islands airline Blue Islands. According to Kelly, the second pilot had been passing the island of Sark when he reported "an object behind him to his left". Kelly reported that "the description was very similar to Captain Bowyer's" and that the pilot had given its altitude as 1,950 feet (590 m), approximately the same as Bowyer had.
Approximately three weeks after the reported sighting, the British Ministry of Defence released information connected with the report, including a statement from a second pilot.
Bowyer's report
After landing in Alderney, Bowyer made an official report to the Civil Aviation Authority, labelling the incident as a "near-miss"; his report appeared in Pilot magazine in June 2007. Bowyer added a sketch of what he had seen to this report, in which he described the objects as approximately the size of a "reasonably large town." Bowyer subsequently flew the return leg of his flight to Southampton, but did not see the apparent objects again. By 25 April, the British Ministry of Defence (MoD) had stated that it would not investigate the reported sighting. Approximately a week after the reported sighting, the MoD stated the incident had taken place in French airspace and so was outside its responsibility.
Bowyer later reported to the BBC that he was "pretty shook-up" by what he saw, describing the incident as "pretty scary". He rejected the suggestion that he had claimed to see an alien vessel, only remarking that he had "never seen anything like it before in all years of flying." He also accepted the possibility that he had seen earthquake lights, a scientifically-debated phenomenon where flashes of light appear over areas of seismic activity, connected to the earthquake in south-eastern England that took place on 28 April.
Further reading
- Clarke, David (2015). How UFOs Conquered the World: The History of a Modern Myth. London: Quarto Publishing Group. ISBN 978-1-78131-304-6.
References
- Cleland 2008.
- ^ Evening Standard 2007.
- ^ Campbell 2021.
- ^ Haines 2007.
- United Kingdom Government 2007.
- ^ Lewis-Kraus 2021.
- ^ Rohrer 2007.
- ^ BBC News 2007.
- Derr et al. 2011, p. 165.
Bibliography
- BBC News (25 April 2007). "Pilot spots 'UFO' over Guernsey". Retrieved 13 May 2023.
- Campbell, Matthew (1 August 2021). "The truth is up there: how the Pentagon gave hope to Britain's UFO spotters". The Times. Archived from the original on 18 May 2023. Retrieved 13 May 2023.
- Cleland, Gary (7 February 2008). "Huge rise in British UFO sightings". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 13 May 2023.
- Lewis-Kraus, Gideon (30 April 2021). "How the Pentagon Started Taking U.F.O.s Seriously". The New Yorker. Archived from the original on 11 May 2023. Retrieved 13 May 2023.
- Derr, John S.; St-Laurent, France; Freund, Fridemann T.; Thériault, Robert (2011). "Earthquake Lights". In Gupta, Harsh K. (ed.). Encyclopedia of Solid Earth Geophysics. Vol. 1. Dordrecht: Springer. p. 165. ISBN 978-90-481-8701-0.
- Haines, Lester (27 April 2007). "UK airline pilots spot giant UFO". The Register. Retrieved 13 May 2023.
- "'Mile-wide UFO' spotted by British airline pilot". The Evening Standard. 22 June 2007. Retrieved 13 May 2023.
- Rohrer, Finlo (4 July 2007). "Saucers in the sky". BBC News. Retrieved 15 May 2023.
- United Kingdom Government (6 July 2007). "UFO Reports 2007" (PDF). Retrieved 13 May 2023.
| Aviation accidents and incidents in 2007 (2007) | |
|---|---|
| Jan 1 Adam Air Flight 574Jan 9 Aerian-TurM An-26 crashJan 24 Air West Flight 612Jan 25 Régional Flight 7775Feb 21 Adam Air Flight 172Mar 5 Zell am See mid-air collisionMar 7 Garuda Indonesia Flight 200Mar 17 UTair Flight 471Mar 23 Mogadishu TransAVIAexport crashApr 21 Blue Angels South Carolina crashApr 27 Shatoy Mi-8 crashMay 5 Kenya Airways Flight 507May 26 San Francisco Int'l runway incursionJun 3 Paramount Airlines helicopter crashJun 21 Free Airlines L-410 crashJun 25 PMTair Flight 241Jul 17 TAM Airlines Flight 3054Jul 27 Phoenix news helicopter collisionAug 9 Air Moorea Flight 1121Aug 20 China Airlines Flight 120Sep 9 Scandinavian Airlines System Flight 1209Sep 12 Scandinavian Airlines System Flight 2748Sep 16 One-Two-Go Airlines Flight 269Oct 4 Africa One Antonov An-26 crashOct 26 Philippine Airlines Flight 475Oct 27 Scandinavian Airlines System Flight 2867Nov 7 Nationwide Airlines Flight 723Nov 30 Atlasjet Flight 4203 | |
| 2006 ◄ ► 2008 |
49°42′N 02°22′W / 49.700°N 2.367°W / 49.700; -2.367
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