Captain Midnight
Just after midnight, HBO viewers across the United States saw their film replaced by a message from someone calling himself Captain Midnight.
What was reported
At 12:32 am on 27 April 1986, viewers of the television channel HBO in the eastern United States were watching the film 'The Falcon and the Snowman' when the picture was replaced by colour bars and a message protesting against HBO's prices for satellite dish owners, signed 'Captain Midnight'.
The message stayed on screen for about four and a half minutes. It caused alarm, because if one person could take over a major satellite channel, others could too.
Explanations offered
The FBI traced it to John MacDougall, an engineer working the night shift at a satellite uplink station in Ocala, Florida, who had overpowered HBO's signal. He was fined and put on probation, and the incident led to new laws and technical safeguards.
- When
- 27 April 1986
- Where
- Ocala, Florida, USA
- Witnesses
- Millions of HBO viewers
- Status
- Explained
Famous cases are real, widely reported events. Each file sets out what witnesses said and the explanations that have been offered, without taking a side.