The RB-47 Encounter
An air force spy plane tracked a signal and a light that followed it for over an hour across three states.
What was reported
On 17 July 1957, an RB-47H electronic-intelligence aircraft was on a training flight over the southern US when its crew picked up a radar-like signal that seemed to move with the plane. The pilots then saw a large, bright light, and ground radar also reported a target.
The light and the signal followed the aircraft, sometimes disappearing and reappearing, for over an hour and more than 700 miles.
Explanations offered
The case is one of the most studied in the field. Later analysts suggested the signal came from a ground radar station and the light from an airliner, with confusion in the timing; others reject this. The Air Force's Project Blue Book listed it as an airliner.
- When
- 17 July 1957
- Where
- Over Mississippi, Louisiana and Texas, USA
- Witnesses
- The six crew of an RB-47 and ground radar operators
- Status
- Disputed
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.