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END OCTOBER 1973, CONNERSVILLE, INDIANA, USA, MRS. BRIDGET BANKS AND HER SISTER:

Brief summary of the event and follow-up:

Summarized from personal files of local ufologist Don Worley, the case of Cornersville, Indiana, at an unspecified of the 3rd week of October 1973, occurred amidst a huge flap of UFO sightings reports in the USA, that the Press echoed, creating an excitement resulting in many reports, including confusions of all kinds, also in Cornersville and in Indiana in general.

It is indicated that at 08:00 p.m. that day, Mrs. Bridget Banks and her sister saw an object operating at the level of the tree tops nearby. They described the object as in the shape of a fish, gray, with a pilot compartment that seemed made out of curved transparent plastic at the front, round port-holes long the side, and a tail with two horizontal ailerons. Approximately 25 golden-colored lights around the bottom lit its hull.

In the pilot compartment, they saw, from the shoulders to the top, two dark figures with very large round white eyes who were of a thinner constitution than the humans. Two others of the same description were seen though the port-holes more to the back.

When the craft passed above them, or passed above a field close to Fountain Street, they felt heat and heard a humming noise that hurt their ears. The two women were frightened but curiosity won and they did not run away.

There seems to be no other information, and apparently nobody thought that all this was a nearly perfect description of an helicopter overflight.

Basic information table:

Narratives:

[Ref. ar1:] ALBERT ROSALES:

Albert Rosales indicates in his catalogue that in Connersville, Indiana, on the 3d week of October 1973, at 08:00 p.m., Mrs Bridget Banks and her sister saw an object maneuvering at treetop height nearby; it passed directly over them.

It was "fish shaped", gray, with a curved transparent pilot's compartment in front and round portholes on the sides. There was a tail with 2 horizontal fins. About 25 fold colored lights around the bottom illuminated the hull. When it passed over, the witnesses felt heat and heard an ear-hurting sound.

In the pilot's compartment could be seen, from the shoulders up, 2 dark figures with very large round white eyes; 2 more occupants of the same description were seen through portholes further back.

Albert Rosales indicates that the source is Don Worley, and Humcat 1973-105.

[Ref. ni1:] NICAP WEBSITE:

A chronology on the NICAP web site indicates that in the middle of October 1973, in Connersville, Indiana, around 08:00 p.m., a grey fish-shaped object with plastic-like compartment on front and portholes on sides and a hull illuminated by some 25 gold colored lights around the bottom was seen. The witnesses experienced heat, and their ears hurt from the humming sound as object hovered and passed over a field near Fountain Street.

Two dark figures with very large white eyes were in the pilots compartment. They were seen from the shoulders up, were thinner build than humans. Two more occupants of the same description were seen in portholes along the side of craft. The witnesses were afraid but did not run away due to curiosity.

The source is indicated as the Worley files.

Points to consider:

Donald Worley lives in Connersville, and since 1965, he has been a field investigator for two leading UFO research organizations. In 1973, he was an APRO correspondent. He researched over 340 individual sightings. His web site is at: www.abduct.com/worley/worley.php#index

During the famous UFO sightings flap of 1973, dozens of sightings in and around Cornersville were reported by the local Press in October. This had created such an excitement that many people wanted to see the UFOs, and naturally, an impressive number of confusions of all kinds took place in the collection of the sighting of the UFO flap.

In this case, it does not seem that the ufologists understood what the confusion was; however, despite the brevity of the two summaries I found and the missing original report or possible case investigation file, the case literally shouts its obvious explanation: this is very likely just a mildly distorted description of a helicopter.

The machine as a whole is described as in the shape of a fish. This means that it is bulkier at the front, and gets thinner at the back, with a tail-like feature, like an helicopter.

The term "fish" may seem an unusual choice of word at first sight, but it is not: on October 11, 1973, only a few days before this sighting, national media had largely described the very famous close encounter of Pascagoula, Mississippi, in which the UFO had already been described as in the shape of a fish.

The front is described as made of a transparent rounded plastic, a pilots compartment; which constitutes a rather accurate description of an helicopter's cockpit.

At the back, there is mention of "a tail with 2 horizontal fins". Like a helicopter. It is likely that the two ladies actually spoke of an horizontal rudder with a vertical fin at each end.

On the sides, there are round port-holes, just like many helicopters have.

Naturally for a helicopter, there is no "impossible maneuvers". The craft hovers above the tree tops, at a distance not indicated, then goes away while passing above the witnesses. This is really nothing extraordinary.

Instead of the silent flight often reported in really intriguing sightings, the noise of this UFO is so loud that it hurts the witnesses ears; that is the case with a helicopter. The impression of heat is only a totally usual impression when under a helicopter where a great volume of air is moved and causes such strong impressions.

The sighting is by night. Qualified observers would have identified a helicopter as such, but in fact, the observers are two women we know nothing of and there is no reason to think that they are qualified observers at all. Moreover, we have an undocumented distance of observation, and we have a context of very strong excitation due to the many previous sightings in the area, largely advertised by the Press.

Because when honest witnesses are completely wrong in their interpretation of what they see, they nevertheless describe it with only mild distortion and practically without inventing the least non-existent characteristic, it is possible here, in spite of the very poor documentation to very well recognize that it was of a helicopter, not an alien spaceship.

List of issues:

Evaluation:

Confusion: helicopter.

Sources references:

* = Source I checked.
? = Source I am told about but could not check yet. Help appreciated.

• [---] ? Donald Worley personal file.
• [ar1] * "1973 Humanoid Reports", compiled by Albert Rosales, circa 2001, at www.ufoinfo.com/humanoid/humanoid1973.shtml
• [ni1] * "The 1973 UFO Chronology - A World-Wide Wave", a 35-page chronology of UFO incidents contributed by Richard Hall, William Wise, Dan Wilson, Brad Sparks and Jean Waskiewicz, April 15, 2007, at www.nicap.org/waves/1973fullrep.htm

Document history:

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This page was last updated on August 25, 2007