The UFO Timeline

Sperry

1950, May 29 8:25 pm
Montgomery, Alabama, US

Event Summary

The incident took place on May 29, 1950, while Captain Sperry was piloting an American Airlines DC-6 aircraft from Washington, D.C., to Nashville, Tennessee.

During the flight, as the aircraft climbed to an altitude of 20,000 feet, Captain Sperry and his crew, including co-pilot Bill Gates and flight engineer Robert Arnholt, noticed an unusual and bright bluish light ahead of them. The light rapidly increased in size and seemed to be moving towards their aircraft. The crew described the object as a brilliant, glowing orb that followed their plane, exhibiting behavior unlike any conventional aircraft or natural phenomenon they had ever encountered.

Concerned and intrigued, Captain Sperry attempted to make radio contact with air traffic control and other nearby aircraft, but no one else reported seeing the object. Despite his efforts to receive confirmation or additional information, the object remained visible only to those aboard the DC-6. The encounter lasted approximately 10 minutes, during which the mysterious orb continued to grow larger, before suddenly disappearing as abruptly as it had appeared.

Following the incident, Captain Sperry and his crew reported the sighting to American Airlines and the U.S. Air Force. The case received significant media attention, with Captain Sperry being interviewed by multiple newspapers. The incident was later featured in the 1956 semi-documentary film "Unidentified Flying Objects: The True Story of Flying Saucers," which further highlighted the credibility of Sperry and his crew's account.

Event Details

Category

Military Contact

Close Encounter Scale

1 - Sighting

Witnesses

Captain Willis Sperry and crew

Duration

30 seconds

Craft Type

Cylinder
2025, January 1 THE UFO TIMELINE
2024, November 13 UAP Hearing
2023, July 26 UAP Hearings
2023, April 30 Las Vegas Crash
2023, April 20 29 Palms
2022, May 17 UAP House Intelligence
2019, October 9 Cuba Boomerang
2018, March 15 Bee
2016, April 16 Mosul Orb
2015, August 20 Yuncheng Airport
2015, January 27 Vero Beach
2015, January 21 Gimbal
2014, November 11 Chilean Navy
2014, March 8 MH370
2013, August 4 Ladakh
2013, April 25 Aguadilla
2011, January 28 Dome of the Rock
2010, October 14 Manhattan Incident
2010, July 21 Pretoria
2008, January 8 Stephenville
2007, May 13 Kumburgaz
2007, April 23 Alderney
2007, January 8 Chris Bledsoe
2006, November 7 Chicago O'Hare
2006, July 1 Barb Lamb Lizard Man
2006, May 4 Roskovec
2005, March 1 Clayton and Donna Lee
2004, November 14 Nimitz
2004, August 21 Tinley Park Lights
2003, April 25 Jeffery Enigl
2001, September 11 9/11
2001, January 3 WINPAC
2000, October 5 Bonsall
2000, January 5 St. Clair Triangle
1997, September 17 Kirsan Ilyumzhinov
1997, March 13 Phoenix Lights
1996, September 10 Matanzas School
1996, August 11 Olivers Castle
1996, January 20 Varginha
1994, December 8 Jacobo Grinberg
1994, September 16 Ariel School
1994, June 7 Meng Zhaoguo
1994, April 18 Randall Nickerson
1994, March 8 Lake Michigan Lights
1993, August 8 Eumemmerring Encounter
1993, March 30 RAF Cosford
1993, March 10 Maslin Beach
1991, July 11 Mexico City
1990, August 4 Calvine
1989, November 30 Linda Napolitano
1989, November 29 Belgian Wave
1989, November 10 Bob Lazar
1989, September 27 Voronezh
1988, January 20 Knowles Family
1987, December 1 Ilkley Moor
1987, November 11 Gulf Breeze
1987, August 1 Vranov
1986, November 17 Japan Airlines
1986, May 19 Night of UFOs
1986, April 26 Chernobyl
1986, January 9 Capilla del Monte
1985, December 26 Whitley Strieber
1983, January 1 Internet
1982, December 31 Hudson Valley
1982, October 21 Nancy
1980, December 29 Cash-Landrum
1980, December 26 Rendlesham Forest
1980, November 28 Alan Godfrey
1980, February 25 OSWR
1979, November 11 Manises
1979, November 9 Dechmont Woods
1979, June 18 Cecconi
1978, December 21 Kaikoura Lights
1978, December 6 Zanfretta
1978, October 26 Clarenville
1978, October 21 Frederick Valentich
1978, September 29 Stargate Project
1978, May 10 Emilcin
1977, October 1 Colares
1976, September 19 Tehran
1976, August 26 Allagash Abductions
1976, June 22 Canary Island Giant Orb
1975, November 5 Travis Walton
1975, January 12 North Hudson Park
1974, November 9 Dorothy Izatt
1974, October 25 Carl Higdon
1974, September 1 Langenburg
1974, August 23 John Lennon
1974, March 27 Betz Sphere
1974, January 23 Berwyn Mountain
1974, January 1 Monroe Institute
1973, November 16 Mansfield Amendment
1973, October 28 Dionisio Llanca
1973, October 18 Coyne Helicopter
1973, October 11 Pascagoula
1973, October 1 Troodos Mountain
1972, June 26 Fort Beaufort
1971, November 2 Delphos Ring
1971, September 4 Lake Cote
1971, May 5 Holloman Air Force Base
1969, September 1 Berkshire
1969, July 20 Moon Landing
1969, April 12 Pori
1969, January 6 Jimmy Carter
1967, October 4 Shag Harbour
1967, August 29 Cussac
1967, May 20 Falcon Lake
1967, April 11 Arequipa
1967, March 16 Malmstrom
1966, November 12 Mothman
1966, August 20 Lead Masks
1966, April 17 Spaur-Neff Chase
1966, April 6 Westall
1966, January 19 Tully Saucer Nest
1965, December 9 Kecksburg
1965, July 1 Valensole
1964, September 18 Dwikora Operation
1964, September 15 Vandenberg Rocket
1964, April 24 Lonnie Zamora
1963, November 22 JFK Assassination
1961, September 19 Betty and Barney Hill
1960, July 15 Woomera
1959, June 26 Father William Gill
1959, February 2 Dyatlov Pass
1958, January 16 Trindade Island
1957, November 2 Levelland
1957, October 16 Antonio Vilas-Boas
1957, September 14 Ubatuba
1957, May 20 Milton Torres
1957, May 3 Gordon Cooper
1956, August 13 Lakenheath-Bentwaters
1955, August 21 Hopkinsville Goblins
1954, December 27 Elizabeth Klarer
1954, November 28 Caracas
1954, October 27 Florence Angel Hair
1954, September 10 Marius Dewilde
1954, August 16 Tananarive
1954, July 1 Buck Nelson
1953, June 3 Sarfatti Phone Call
1953, May 21 Kingman UFO
1953, April 13 MK Ultra
1952, October 21 Little Rissington
1952, September 12 Flatwoods Monster
1952, July 19 D.C. Flap
1952, July 14 Nash-Fortenberry
1952, July 2 Tremonton
1952, January 29 Wonsan-Sunchon
1952, January 1 Richard French
1952, January 1 Project Blue Book
1952, January 1 David Huggins
1951, August 25 Lubbock Lights
1950, August 15 Great Falls
1950, May 29 Sperry
1950, May 11 McMinnville UFO
1950, March 28 Samuel Thompson
1950, March 17 Farmington Armada
1949, August 19 Norwood Searchlight
1949, July 4 White Sands
1949, January 1 OSI
1948, October 1 Gorman Dogfight
1948, July 24 Chiles-Whitted
1948, March 25 Aztec
1948, January 7 Mantell Chase
1947, September 1 High Jump
1947, July 7 Roswell
1947, July 4 Flight 105
1947, June 24 Kenneth Arnold
1947, June 21 Maury Island
1947, January 1 Atomic Energy Commission
1946, August 1 Atomic Energy Act
1946, May 18 Ängelholm
1946, February 26 Ghost Rockets
1945, September 2 WWII End
1945, July 16 Atomic Bomb
1944, June 21 McGregor Project to R&D
1942, August 13 The Manhattan Project
1942, February 24 Battle of LA
1942, January 1 McGregor Project
1941, April 12 Cape Girardeau Crash
1939, September 14 Jack Sarfatti Born
1939, September 1 WWII
1936, October 31 JPL
1936, October 2 Guipuzcoa
1935, September 3 Father Crespi
1934, January 23 Ghost Flyers
1933, June 13 Magenta Crash
1933, June 1 Frank Smythe
1918, November 11 WWI End
1917, October 13 Miracle of the Sun
1915, August 28 Suvla Bay
1914, July 8 WWI
1912, April 8 Chisbury
1909, July 24 New Zealand Airships
1908, June 30 Tunguska
1904, February 28 Lt. Frank Schofield
1903, December 17 Powered Flight
1898, September 4 Lille
1897, April 17 Aurora
1896, November 19 Lodi
1896, November 17 Airships
1892, September 20 Spiderweb from Clouds
1892, June 19 Conyers Fireballs
1891, September 2 Coyote Canyon Airship
1887, November 12 Cape Race
1886, October 24 Maracaibo
1885, February 16 Snowstorm Lights
1883, August 12 1st UFO Photo
1883, February 5 Lake Glasfjorden
1881, July 11 King George V
1878, January 22 John Martin
1874, August 13 Luminous Cloud
1874, April 24 Vojtěch Šafařík
1869, August 7 Adamstown
1868, July 25 Parramatta
1868, June 8 John Lucas Sr.
1867, November 4 James Beveridge
1859, November 24 Darwin Evolution
1859, September 1 Carrington Event
1854, March 21 D.C. Atmosphere
1831, August 29 Faraday
1803, March 24 Utsuro-bune
1800, March 1 Volta Battery
1759, September 16 Jacob Jacobsson
1758, December 25 Halleys Comet
1687, July 5 Newton
1609, September 22 Gangwon Province
1608, October 2 Telescope
1592, September 5 Shakespeare
1566, August 7 Basel
1561, April 5 Nuremberg Air Battle
1543, September 4 Copernicus
1492, October 12 Columbus America
1452, April 15 Leonardo Da Vinci
1347, October 1 The Black Death

Discussion Board

No comments yet. Be the first to start the discussion!