The Wytheville UFO Wave (1987-1990)

In October 1987, the small Blue Ridge Mountain town of Wytheville, Virginia became the epicenter of one of the largest UFO flaps in American history. What began as a 60-second news story about police officers seeing strange lights turned into a three-year phenomenon with over 3,000 reported sightings. Local radio journalist Danny Gordon, initially a skeptic, became a witness himself - and then a target. He received threatening phone calls warning him to stop publicizing the sightings, and his home was broken into with nothing stolen but his UFO files disturbed.

Danny Gordon

The Key Figure

Who he was:

• News and sports director for WYVE Radio since 1984
• Native of Wytheville
• Self-described skeptic at outset
• No prior UFO interest
• Professional journalist

The First Story

October 7, 1987:

• Sheriff Wayne Pike contacted Gordon
• Previous night: 5 police officers observed strange lights
• Over Fort Chiswell area
• Red and green flashing lights
• Officers had military training
• Not easily fooled

Initial Report

The beginning:

• Gordon ran 60-second story
• Described as “interesting tidbit”
• Expected minimal response
• What happened next shocked him

The Response

Public Reaction

Immediate aftermath:

• Story sparked unprecedented reaction
• Hundreds of calls flooded radio station
• Switchboard jammed
• Gordon worked until midnight
• Handling UFO reports

October 17, 1987

Special call-in program:

• Dedicated show for UFO reports
• Massive listener participation
• Reports varied wildly
• Community engaged
• Something was happening

The Sightings

Object Descriptions

What witnesses reported:

• Very large, long objects with blinking lights (noiseless)
• Egg-shaped objects
• Red, green, white flashing lights
• Christmas tree-like lighting
• Cubes
• Saucers
• Silent black triangles
• Various shapes and sizes

Total Reports

The scope:

• By end of December 1987: 1,500+ reports
• By end of investigation: 3,000+ reports to Gordon personally
• Most objects completely silent
• Multiple shapes reported
• Community-wide phenomenon

Gordon’s Personal Sighting

October 21, 1987

The conversion:

• Drove with friend Roger Hall
• Area south of Wytheville
• While returning, observed unusual object on horizon
• Parked and exited car

What He Saw

The craft:

• Large dome-shaped object
• Strobe light on top
• Red ball approached and docked with craft
• Craft then flew upward
• Unable to capture photographs

December 2, 1987

The mall sighting:

• Gordon, wife, and daughter leaving local mall
• People began screaming
• Large object visible
• Broke into four smaller objects
• Gordon photographed objects

The Photographs

The only images:

• Photos showed objects changing form
• Teardrop to round to disc to egg-shaped
• Only known photographs from Wytheville wave
• Physical evidence obtained

Notable Witnesses

Multiple Observers

Who reported:

• Patricia Akers: 10 sightings from area north of Wytheville
• Rita Marie Vaught: circle object with strange lights behind ridge
• Mary Jane Williamson: large object with lights and red center light
• Multiple police officers
• Civilians from all backgrounds

Media Attention

National coverage:

• Press conference attracted national coverage
• National Enquirer sent reporter
• Left without story - “not sensational enough”
• Television crews arrived
• “Unsolved Mysteries” produced episode

The Threats

March 19, 1988

The warning call:

• Gordon packing for Broadcasters Conference
• Received call from “retired Military Intelligence Officer”
• Officer instructed Gordon to tape the call
• Said if something happened to Gordon, recording would prove he’d been warned
• Threatened Gordon and his family
• If he continued publicizing sightings

April 1988

Suspicious visitors:

• Two men visited Gordon’s home
• Claimed to be newspaper reporters
• One interviewed Gordon for 45 minutes
• Second man roamed house taking photographs
• Suspicious behavior raised concerns

The Break-In

After press conference:

• Gordon returned home
• House had been broken into
• Oddly, nothing was stolen
• Gordon believes intruders sought UFO photographs
• Files had been searched

Official Contact

Pentagon Response

Government communication:

• Gordon contacted Defense Department
• Told government “confirms UFOs exist”
• Stated they “do not pose a threat to Wythe County”
• Official acknowledgment of phenomenon

Explanations Attempted

What was proposed:

• Experimental military aircraft (denied by military)
• Planes refueling (Pentagon said illegal at that altitude)
• No satisfactory conventional explanation provided
• Mystery remained

Legacy

Danny Gordon

His career:

• Retired from WYVE Radio in 2016
• Co-authored book: “Don’t Look Up! The Real Story Behind the Virginia UFO Sightings”
• With Paul Dellinger
• Continues speaking about experiences
• Transformed from skeptic to witness

Cultural Impact

Wytheville today:

• Wytheville UFO Fest established 2022
• 35th anniversary celebration
• Annual festival continues
• Case featured on “Unsolved Mysteries”
• Tourist attraction

Analysis

Why This Case Matters

The evidence:

• Thousands of witnesses over extended period
• Multiple witness types (police, civilians)
• Documented threats against investigator
• Break-in suggests someone wanted information suppressed
• Photographs obtained
• Professional journalist as primary documenter

The Threats Question

Who warned Gordon?

• Military intelligence officer?
• Government agency?
• Unknown parties
• Why threaten a small-town radio journalist?
• What was being hidden?

Gordon’s Transformation

The journey:

• Started as skeptic
• Covered story professionally
• Became witness himself
• Received threats
• Became believer
• Personal experience changed everything

The Question

October 1987. Wytheville, Virginia.

Danny Gordon is a radio journalist. He covers news and sports. He’s a skeptic about UFOs. They’re not real. They’re not news.

Then the sheriff calls.

Five police officers - trained observers, military backgrounds - saw strange lights over Fort Chiswell. Red and green, flashing. Not normal.

Gordon runs a 60-second story. Interesting tidbit. Nothing more.

His phone won’t stop ringing.

Hundreds of calls. People who’ve seen things. Things they can’t explain. The switchboard jams. He works until midnight taking reports.

Then he sees it himself.

October 21st. A dome-shaped craft. A red ball docks with it. It flies away.

He’s not a skeptic anymore.

The reports keep coming. 1,500 by Christmas. 3,000 eventually. A whole town seeing things in the sky.

Then the threats start.

A military intelligence officer calls. Tells him to tape the conversation. Warns him: stop publicizing this, or something will happen to you and your family.

Two men come to his house. Say they’re reporters. One asks questions. The other wanders around, photographing everything.

His house is broken into. Nothing stolen. But his UFO files have been searched.

The Pentagon tells him: UFOs exist. They don’t threaten Wythe County.

But someone threatened Danny Gordon.

Someone broke into his home.

Someone didn’t want this story told.

Wytheville.

1987 to 1990.

3,000 witnesses.

One journalist.

Threats. Break-ins. Warnings.

And still no explanation.

What was in the sky over Wytheville?

What was so important that someone threatened a small-town radio man to keep it quiet?

Danny Gordon is still asking.

Forty years later.

Still no answer.