Red Bay, Alabama, USA, on July 8, 1947:
ACUFO-1947-07-08-REDBAY-1
The US Press for July 9, 1947, reported from Tupelo, Mississippi, that J. H. Minga, Tupelo garageman and private airplane pilot, said he saw a flying saucer while piloting his plane over Red Bay, Alabama, early on July 8, 1947.
He said a fast traveling disk came very near to colliding with his plane, and "only the fact that I had my 4-year-old daughter with me kept me from taking to my parachute."
Minga said: "I have been reading about these flying saucers, but never expected to see one. I was flying at about 500 feet over Red Bay, Alabama, when I saw the disk directly in front of the plane. The disk seemed to dip toward the plane at one point despite the fact that I dived toward the ground to avoid the whirling, pancake shaped object which glistened like silver."
Minga said his plane was traveling at about 95 miles an hour when he first saw the disk and he was traveling about 120 miles an hour when the "saucer" suddenly sailed away in front of him and vanished from sight.
| Date: | July 8, 1947 |
|---|---|
| Time: | Early. |
| Duration: | ? |
| First known report date: | July 8, 1947 |
| Reporting delay: | Hours. |
| Country: | USA |
|---|---|
| State/Department: | Alabama |
| City or place: | Red Bay |
| Number of alleged witnesses: | 1 |
|---|---|
| Number of known witnesses: | 1 |
| Number of named witnesses: | 1 |
| Reporting channel: | The Press. |
|---|---|
| Visibility conditions: | Day. |
| UFO observed: | Yes. |
| UFO arrival observed: | ? |
| UFO departure observed: | Yes. |
| UFO action: | Flies on collision course with the plane. |
| Witnesses action: | Observed, took evasive action. |
| Photographs: | No. |
| Sketch(s) by witness(es): | No. |
| Sketch(es) approved by witness(es): | No. |
| Witness(es) feelings: | Frightened. |
| Witnesses interpretation: | Flying saucer. |
| Sensors: |
[X] Visual: 1.
[ ] Airborne radar: N/A. [ ] Directional ground radar: [ ] Height finder ground radar: [ ] Photo: [ ] Film/video: [ ] EM Effects: [ ] Failures: [ ] Damages: |
|---|---|
| Hynek: | DD |
| Armed / unarmed: | Unarmed. |
| Reliability 1-3: | 2 |
| Strangeness 1-3: | 3 |
| ACUFO: | Extraterrestrial craft or witness invention. |
[Ref. moa1:] NEWSPAPER "THE MORNING ADVOCATE":
|
Tupelo, Miss., July 8 (AP) - J. H. Minga, Tupelo garageman and private airplane pilot, says he saw a flying saucer while piloting his plane over Red Bay, Ala., early today and added that so far as he is concerned "one time is enough."
The fast traveling disk came very near to colliding with his plane, Minga said, and "only the fact that I had my 4-year-old daughter with me kept me from taking to my parachute."
"I have been reading about these flying saucers," he said, "but never expected to see one. I was flying at about 500 feet over Red Bay, Ala., when I saw the disk directly in front of the plane. The disk seemed to dip toward the plane at one point despite the fact that I dived toward the ground to avoid the whirling, pancake shaped object which glistened like silver."
Minga said his plane was traveling at about 95 miles an hour when he first saw the disk and he was traveling about 120 miles an hour when the "saucer" suddenly sailed away in front of him and vanished from sight.
[Ref. gch1:] NEWSPAPER "THE GREENWOOD COMMONWEALTH":
|
Almost Collides With One Over Red Bay, Ala.
TUPELO, Miss., July 9 - (AP) - A Tupelo garageman and private airplane pilot, J. H. Minga, claims one brush with a flying disc is enough for him.
Minga said he and his small daughter were flying over Red Bay, Ala., yesterday when a fast traveling disc almost collided with the plane.
"Only the fact that I had my little girl with me kept me from taking to my parachute," said Minga.
He said the disc seemed to dip toward the plane at one point despite the fact that he dived toward the ground to avoid it.
[Ref. vip1:] NEWSPAPER "THE VICKSBURG POST":
|
Close Call in Flight Over Alabama Described By Private Flier
TUPELO, Miss., July 9 - A Tupelo garageman and private airplane pilot, J. H. Minga, claims one brush with a flying disc is enough for him.
Minga said he and his small daughter were flying over Red Bay, Ala., yesterday when a fast traveling disc almost collided with the plane.
"Only the fact that I had my little girl with me kept me from taking to my parachute," said Minga.
He said the disc seemed to dip toward the plane at one point despite the fact that he dived toward the ground to avoid it.
[Ref. dqr1:] NEWSPAPER "THE DAILY ADVERTIZER":
|
(By The Associated Press)
TUPELO, Miss., July 9-A Tupelo garageman and private airplane pilot, J. H. Minga, claims one brush with a flying disc is enough for him.
Minga said he and his small daughter were flying over Red Bay, Ala., when a fast traveling disc almost collided with the plane.
"Only the fact that I had my little girl with me kept me from taking to my parachute," said Minga.
He said the disc seemed to dip toward the plane at one point despite the fact that he dived toward the ground to avoid it.
[Ref. ttk1:] NEWSPAPER "THE TOWN TALK":
|
TUPELO, Miss., July 9 - (AP) - A Tupelo garageman and private airplane pilot, J. H. Minga, claims one brush with a flying disc is enough for him.
Minga said he and his small daughter were flying over Red Bay, Ala., yesterday when a fast traveling disc almost collided with the plane.
"Only the fact that I had my little girl with me kept me from taking to my parachute," said Minga.
He said the disc seemed to dip toward the plane at one point despite the fact that he dived toward the ground to avoid it.
[Ref. lgs1:] LOREN GROSS:
|
8? (date not clear on clipping) July. Red Bay, Alabama. (morning)
"One time is enough."
An AP dispatch from Tupelo, Mississippi said:
"J.H. Minga, Tupelo garageman and private airplane pilot says he saw a flying saucer while piloting his plane over Red Bay, Ala., early today and added that so far as he is concerned 'one time is enough.' "The fast travelling disk came very near to colliding with his plane, Minga said, and 'only the fact that I had my 4-year-old daughter with me kept me from taking to my parachute.'
"'I had been reading about these flying saucers,' he said, 'but never expected to see one. I was flying at about 500 feet over Red Bay, Ala., when I saw the disk directly in front of the plane. The disk seemed to dip toward the plane at one point despite the fact that I dived toward the ground to avoid the whirling, pancake-shaped
|
object which glistened like silver.' "Minga said his plane was traveling at about 95 miles an hour when he first saw the disk and he was traveling about 120 miles an hour when the 'saucer' suddenly sailed away in front of him and vanished from sight (a good trick for a balloon)." (xx.)
(xx.) Tupelo, Mississippi. 8? July 47 (AP) Also: Baton Rouge, Louisiana. Morning Advocate. 9 July 47.
[Ref. lhh1:] LARRY HATCH:
1038: 1947/07/08 09:00 1 88:08:00 W 34:26:20 N 3312 NAM USA ALA 6:7
RED BAY,AL:Pvt.PILOT:nr COLLISION W/SLVR DISK!:SHOOTS AWAY:NFD
Ref#131 GROSS,L.:UFOS a HISTORY-1947 6 books Book # 4 Page 38: IN-FLIGHT
[Ref. wia1:] "WIKIPEDIA" (EN):
| Report publish date | Location | Date of claimed sighting | Names | Notes | Bloecher # |
| Jul 9 | Red Bay, Alabama | Jul 8 | J.H. Minga (21) | Near mid-collision [sic] |
The source "21" is indicated to be "9 Jul 1947, Page 1 - The Town Talk."
There is no information on the airplane; but it obviously was a small civilian private plane such as a Piper "Cub" for example.
|
What is reported is nothing ordinary; but there is only a single witness.
Extraterrestrial craft or witness invention.
* = Source is available to me.
? = Source I am told about but could not get so far. Help needed.
| Main author: | Patrick Gross |
|---|---|
| Contributors: | None |
| Reviewers: | None |
| Editor: | Patrick Gross |
| Version: | Create/changed by: | Date: | Description: |
|---|---|---|---|
| 0.1 | Patrick Gross | June 16, 2026 | Creation, [moa1], [gch1], [vip1], [dar1], [ttk1], [lgs1], [lhh1], [wia1]. |
| 1.0 | Patrick Gross | June 16, 2026 | First published. |
