The case was reported in the Courier-Journal of Louisville, Kentucky, USA, on March 4, 1993.
Two senior police officers of the air unit of Jefferson county - described by their lieutenant as of the "reliable guys" - swear that they were paced during two minutes by a UFO in the night of Friday while they were on a routine patrol.
Two officers on the ground say that they also saw the object.
The UFO – a glowing objectt in the shape of a pear and of the size of a basketball – literally made circles around the helicopter which, according to airmen, flew at approximately 100 mph.
In one stunning moment, when the two machines rushed one towards the other, the UFO launched three balls of the size of a baseball, according to the statements of the three officers. These bolides died out in sparkles.
Officers Kenny Graham and Kenny Downs did not speak much about their flight of Friday evening above the General Electric plant because they feared they would not be believed. But they are convinced that they did not hallucinate.
"We both go to church each week," said Downs to explain that they are normal people. "In fact, I will perhaps start to go there twice per week."
Officer Mike Smith, from his patrol car, said that he saw the object during only one minute. But he confirmed that three bolides were emtitted by the UFO before it disappeared.
Officer Joe Smolenski said that he tried, during more than one minute, to catch up with the object in his patrol car. "I have chased them [the UFOs] during 14 years, and I think that it is the closest I approached something I could not explain."
Le Lieutenant David Pope, who has been awaken at half past midnight Saturday morning by a call from the officers, vouches of their mental health and their sincerity.
"These guys are absolutely solid," said Pope. "There is no doubt in my spirit that something was there."
The night had started like all the other nights. Graham and Downs checked in on duty at 06:00 P.M. and quickly went on routine patrol. Graham, aged 39 and a 11 years veteran, was the pilot. Downs, aged 39 and a 5 years veteran, was the observer.
Whereas they were on patrol, they received a call in connection with a possible break-in near Sanford avenue and Buechel Bank road. They quickly reached the area which is close to the north-eastern corner of the Household Appliance Park, at approximately 11:50 P.M..
Whereas they turned around the location, Graham saw something which resembled a small fire on his left. Dozen campfires had been lit in the county that night by people happy to celebrate the new snow fall.
Soon, Graham convinced himself that this was not at all a fire. Downs illuminated the object with his powerful projector of 1.5 million candles and the object started to slightly drift like a balloon. It then floated gradually up to the altitude of the helicopter with was nearly 500 feet above ground-level, where it remained motionless during a few seconds.
"It then sped away at a speed which I had never seen before," said Graham, an experienced pilot.
The object made two enormous loops, anticlockwise, and then approached the back of the helicopter.
Graham, anxious that the object may strike the tail rotor, pushed his speed to more than 100 mph. The UFO passed in front of them and instantaneously went up several hundreds of feet. It then descended and made a pass near the helicopter. Graham tried to reduce the distance between him and the object but it moved away again. Whereas the UFO approached following a parallel course, the three fireballs spoutted out of its center.
Scared, Graham moved away from the object.
"When we came back towards it, it had disappeared," added Graham.
When both came back to their base, Graham called the air traffic control tower of Standiford Field to ask to them whether their radar had detected anything unusual. Nothing special had been detected.
Downs then called the radio dispatches operators in the county to ask whether somebody had reported a sighting. Nothing was reported.
But they obtained a confirmation from two officers on the ground, one of them being Smith.
"I do not have any idea what it was," said Smith, but his confirmation encouraged the two airmen.
"I feel better now," said Downs, "knowing that there are... reliable men, who swore to protect this community, and saw the same thing than we saw."
