The Bethune Flight 124 airmiss in 1951:

U.S. Naval Reserve Lieutenant Graham Bethune, co-pilot on Flight 125 from Keflavik, reported:

"While flying in the left seat on a true course of 230 degrees at a position of 49-50 North and 50-03 West, I observed a glow of light below the horizon about 1,000 to 1,500 feet above the water. We both observed its course and motion for about 4 or 5 minutes before calling it to the attention of the other crew members... Suddenly its angle of attack changed, its altitude and size increased as though its speed was in excess of 1,000 miles per hour. It closed in so fast that the first feeling was we would collide in midair. At this time its angle changed and the color changed. It then [appeared] definitely circular and reddish orange on its perimeter. It reversed its course and tripled its speed until it was last seen disappearing over the horizon. Because of our altitude and misleading distance over water it is almost impossible to estimate its size, distance, and speed. A rough estimate would be at least 300 feet in diameter, over 1,000 miles per hour in speed, and approached to within 5 miles of the aircraft."

Table of content:

	The case, general information.
	The Air Intelligence Report page 1 of 2.
	The Air Intelligence Report, page 2 of 2.
	Project record card.
	Fleet logistic report by witness Fred W. Kingdon.
	Letter to CG, AMC, by Colonel S. Harris.
	Letter from North East Air Command: all experienced North Atlantic flyers (This page).
	Radio Note from J.J. Rogers to Colonel Harris of Wright Patterson AFB..
	Major Keyhoe of NICAP's story.
	Dominique Weinstein's case summary.
	Graham E. Bethune's public testimony at Washington Disclosure conference 2001.
	Other sightings in that area.
	Letter from North East Air Command: weather clear, no planes.
	The Parrot letter; explaining it away: it was a meteor, or Northern Lights (This page).
	Drawings by witnesses.
	References.

Picture of a Navy R5D transport. The R5D is a variant of the C-54 transport, whose civilian version is known as the Skymaster.

Transcription of the NEAC report from Pepperhill AFB:

Letter from the North East Air Command, Pepperrell AFB, NFLD to CSAF Washington DC.

FROM: NEAC PEPPERHILL AFB NFLD
TO : CSAF WASH D C
NR : EN 0212

Unidentified object seen at 0055Z 10 Feb at 49 degrees 52 min north, 50 degrees 03 min west by crew of Navy 6501, VR1, Patuxent River, MD. Originally seen as heavy light in distance on the surface as lights of city. The yellowish light, like a fire in color, approached rapidly and grew very bright and very large with a semi-curcular shape. It was on a true course at about 125 degrees, plane on a true cours of 225 degrees, as it approached the plane it suddenly turned about almost 180 degrees and disappeared rapidly over the horizon as a small ball. Speed "was terrific". Seen fr an angle of about 45 degrees looking down fr the plane. Crew all experienced North Atlantic fliers Lt F.W. Kingdon, Lt. A. L. Jones, Lt. G.E. Bethune, Lt. N.G.P. Koger, Lt. C.W. Mayer, all saw object over a period of fr seven to eight min. Plane flying at 10,000 altitude.

ACTION: OIN
CAF IN: 97532

(10 Feb 51)
MEL/rof

UNCLASSIFIED

Fac simile of the letter:

This page was last updated on December 4, 2001.