ACUFO:

ACUFO is my comprehensive catalog of cases of encounters between aircraft and UFOs, whether they are "explained" or "unexplained".

The ACUFO catalog is made of case files with a case number, summary, quantitative information (date, location, number of witnesses...), classifications, all sources mentioning the case with their references, a discussion of the case in order to evaluate its causes, and a history of the changes made to the file.

< Previous case Next case >

Atlantic Ocean, in 1943:

Case number:

ACUFO-1943-00-00-ATLANTIC-1

Summary:

Circa 1999, US ufologist Jan Aldrich prepared a catalog of summaries of early cases of aircraft - UFO encounters that were sometimes previously unpublished or little-known. This was to help French ufologist Dominique Weinstein in compiling the latter's catalog of aircraft - UFO encounters.

One of such cases is indicated to have taken place at night, in the Atlantic Ocean, between USA and England, the witnesses being a US Navy PB-2Y5 pilot and 8 crewmen.

They reportedly saw a single lighted red orange object flying in formation off the wing of the aircraft.

The pilot repositioned the aircraft several time, and each time the object matched the maneuver. The UFO took off ahead of the aircraft and vanished from sight in 30 seconds.

Aldrich indicated that the case was a report to ufologist Paul Cerny and an interview with ufologist Dr. Richard Haines; the latter clarified that this incident had to take place in 1943.

Data:

Temporal data:

Date:	1943
Time:	Night.
Duration:	?
First known report date:	1999
Reporting delay:	6 decades.

Geographical data:

Country:	USA
State/Department:	N/A
City:	N/A, over the Atlantic Ocean

Witnesses data:

Number of alleged witnesses:	9
Number of known witnesses:	?
Number of named witnesses:	0

Ufology data:

Reporting channel:	US ufologists Paul Cerny and Richard Haines.
Visibility conditions:	Night.
UFO observed:	Yes.
UFO arrival observed:	?
UFO departure observed:	Yes.
UFO action:	Flies along plane, maneuvers like plane, flies in front on plane, departs.
Witnesses action:	Maneuvers.
Photographs:	No.
Sketch(s) by witness(es):	No.
Sketch(es) approved by witness(es):	No.
Witness(es) feelings:	?
Witnesses interpretation:	?

Classifications:

Sensors:	[X] Visual: 1 to 9 [N/A] Airborne radar: [N/A] Directional ground radar: [N/A] Height finder ground radar: [ ] Photo: [ ] Film/video: [ ] EM Effects: [ ] Failures: [ ] Damages:
Hynek:	NL
Armed / unarmed:	Armed, 2 20 mm nose guns, 4 7.62 mm machine guns.
Reliability 1-3:	1
Strangeness 1-3:	2
ACUFO:	Possible extraterrestrial craft, uncertain reliability.

Sources:

[Ref. prt1:] JAN ALDRICH - "PROJECT 1947":

Circa 1999, ufologist Jan Aldrich prepared a catalog of summaries of early cases of aircraft - UFO encounters ([prt2]) that were sometimes previously unpublished or little-known. This was to help French ufologist Dominique Weinstein in compiling the latter's catalog of aircraft - UFO encounters. Aldrich explained that as Dominique Weinstein has many of the primary documents, the summaries are very short.

N [=New cas not in 1997 ACUFOE catalog] - 1943 Changed entry from N - 1945:

(An interview with Dr. Haines clarifies that this incident had to take place in 1943), Night, Atlantic, between USA and England, US Navy PB-2Y5, pilot and 8 crewmen, Single lighted red orange object flew formation off the wing of the aircraft. Pilot repositioned the aircraft several time. Each time the object matched the maneuver. UFO took off ahead of the aircraft and vanished from sight in 30 seconds. (Report to Paul Cerny and interview with Dr. Richard Haines)

[Ref. dwn1:] DOMINIQUE WEINSTEIN:

French ufologist Dominique Weinstein compiled a catalog of the cases of UFOs observed from aircraft. The first case in February 2001 (6th edition) catalog appears as:

DATE	43.00.00
HOUR	night
COUNTRY	Atlantic Ocean
PLACE	Between USA and England
	M
TYPE OF PLANE AND WITNESSES	a USN PPB-2Y5 pilot + 8 crew members
DESCRIPTION OVNI	one single lit orange object flew in formation with the aircraft.
Radar
G
X
E
SOURCES	03/37

The sources "03" and "37" are referenced at the end of the catalog as:

03 Project 1947 Reports, newsclippings and documents (cases from Jan Aldrich and Barry Greenwood)

37 List of ACUFOE cases prior to 1947, Jan Aldrich, Project 1947

[Ref. dwn2:] DOMINIQUE WEINSTEIN:

Case 9

1943 Atlantic Ocean, between USA and England

One night (month and day not specified) the pilot and the eight crew members of a US Navy PB-2Y5 observed a single lighted red-orange object which flew in formation off the wing of the aircraft. The pilot repositioned the aircraft several time. Each time the object matched the maneuver. The UAP took off ahead of the plane and vanished from sight in 30 seconds.

Sources: Dr. Richard Haines Files / Project 1947, Jan Aldrich

[Ref. tai1:] "THINK ABOUT IT" WEBSITE:

Date: Summer of 1943

Location: North Atlantic

Time:

Summary: PB2Y5 paced by red-orange object. Pilot made several turns but object matched maneuvers, finally object took off ahead and disappeared in 30 sec.

Source: Richard Hall, UFOE I, page 23; Interview with witness by Richard Haines

[Ref. nip1:] "THE NICAP WEBSITE":

Summer of 1943; North Atlantic

PB2Y5 paced by red-orange object. Pilot made several turns but object matched maneuvers, finally object took off ahead and disappeared in 30 sec. (Richard Hall, UFOE I, page 23; Interview with witness by Richard Haines)

Aircraft information:

The Consolidated PBY Catalina was a seaplane produced in the 1930s and 1940s. It was one of the most widely used seaplanes of World War II. Catalinas served with every branch of the United States Armed Forces and in the air forces and navies of many other nations.

Its range was about 2,520 miles (4,060 km, 2,190 nmi).

For its defense, it was equipped with 2 Browning 1919 7.62 mm machine guns in the nose, 1 Browning M2 12.7 mm at the front, 1 Browning 1919 7.62 mm at the rear, and 2 20 mm cannon in the nose. It could carry 900 kg of bombs and two torpedoes or anti-submarine grenades.

Discussion:

I could not find anything more on the sighting so far. Paul Cerny was an American ufologist active in the 1970's, chairman of the Mutual UFO Network's Bay Area chapter (MUFON) and then MUFON's western regional director. The witnesses are not known and neither are the circumstances of the report.

The distance to the coast is not given, one would think that the red light would be that of a friendly plane.

Evaluation:

Possible extraterrestrial craft, uncertain reliability.

Sources references:

* = Source is available to me.
? = Source I am told about but could not get so far. Help needed.

[prt2] * "Aircraft UFO Encounters Summaries From Project 1947 Research", catalogue compiled by Jan Aldrich, ufology Website Project 1947, USA, version 2, OCtober 9, 1999, at http://www.project1947.com/47cats/acupdt.htm
[dwn1] * "Unidentified Aerial Phenomena - Eighty years of pilot sightings - Catalog of Military, Airliner, Private Pilots' Sightings from 1916 to 2000", catalog compiled by Dominique F. Weinstein, NARCAP International Technical Advisor, France, 6th issue, February 2001.
[dwn2] * "The Foofighters Files (1) Catalogue of Unconventional Aerial Phenomena Reported by Allied pilots during WW II (1943-1945)", catalogue by Dominique Weinstein, France, October 2009.
[tai1] * "1943: UFO & Alien Sightings", web page of the Think About It website, USA, as of January 1, 2016, at https://www.thinkaboutitdocs.com/1943-ufo-alien-sightings
[nip1] * "UFO Sighting Chronology - 1939-1945; The WWII Years & 'Foo-Fighters'", on the ufology Website The NICAP Website, USA, created December 18, 2006, updated December 5, 2017, at http://www.nicap.org/chronos/1939-1945.htm

File history:

Authoring:

Main author:	Patrick Gross
Contributors:	None
Reviewers:	None
Editor:	Patrick Gross

Changes history:

Version:	Create/changed by:	Date:	Description:
0.1	Patrick Gross	September 25, 2023	Creation, [prt2], [dwn1], [nip1].
1.0	Patrick Gross	September 25, 2023	First published.
1.1	Patrick Gross	September 28, 2023	Additions [tai1], [dwn2].

This page was last updated on September 28, 2023.