1952.09.01
04.45
But only five other cases were discussed [by the Robertson Panel] in any detail… The Yaak, Montana (August [sic] 1,1952) [incident]…
(The Hynek UFO Report, Hynek)
Radar/Visual at Air Force Radar Site
Brad Sparks:
September 1, 1952; Yaak, Montana (BBU 2023)
4.45 am: Visual sighting by two USAF enlisted men, radar tracking by three men using FPS-3 radar set. Two small, varicolored lights became black silhouettes (of “dark, cigar-shaped object”?) at dawn, flew erratically. One hour. (Berliner; cf. The Report on Unidentified Flying Objects, Ruppelt)
Loren Gross:
A newsman from Olean, New York, a Mr Bob Barry, interviewed a S/Sgt William Kelly, who was stationed at the Yaak radar installation in 1953. According to Sgt Kelly, on one occasion UFOs appeared on the site’s radar screens exhibiting changes of direction as many as five times a minute. Some course changes were 90º and speeds were measured as high as 1,500 mph. Six blips at one time appeared on the radar scopes and the strange targets came within ten miles of the GCI site. So close was the indicated range the radar personnel left their windowless operations room to check the sky with the naked eye. Sure enough, six objects could be seen in the sky an estimated ten miles away. When first spotted, the six UFOs were in an in-trail formation, and shortly thereafter the six UFOs changed to an in-line abreast grouping. Finally, the UFOs switched to a vertical stack. Sgt Kelly said he remembers tracking the UFOs on the radar executing vertical climbs that exceeded the limit of the site’s height finding equipment. (This was probably 100,000 feet.) (UFOs: A History, Gross; The UFO Evidence, Hall)
Mike Swords:
Ruppelt was very high on this case as it is listed as one of the prime cases brought before and discussed by the Robertson Panel. James McDonald also has a file on it. (Ruppelt probably misremembered and put it one month early {it is September 1, instead of August 1}.)