The Minot AFB B-52 UFO Encounter of 1968

On October 24, 1968, during a routine training mission near Minot Air Force Base in North Dakota, a B-52H Stratofortress crew encountered an unidentified object that was simultaneously tracked on ground radar, airborne radar, and observed visually by multiple witnesses both in the air and on the ground. The object, described as larger than the B-52 itself, followed the bomber, caused electromagnetic interference with the aircraft’s systems, and remained unexplained despite extensive documentation. This case represents one of the most thoroughly documented military UFO encounters of the 1960s.

The Aircraft and Crew

B-52H Stratofortress

The platform:

• Strategic bomber
• 5th Bomb Wing
• Call sign “JAG 31”
• Training mission
• Nuclear capable

The Crew

Multiple officers aboard:

• Experienced flight crew
• Navigator Captain (name withheld)
• Radar navigator
• Electronic warfare officer
• All submitted reports

The Encounter

Initial Ground Sightings

Before the B-52 arrived:

• Ground personnel saw lights
• Multiple locations on base
• Moving lights observed
• Security teams dispatched
• Base on alert

Radar Contact

Ground radar acquisition:

• Object tracked by base radar
• Solid return
• Moving target
• Not transponder-equipped
• Unknown origin

B-52 Vectored

The intercept:

• Bomber directed toward target
• Training mission interrupted
• Crew vectored to object
• Approach began
• Multiple systems engaged

The Object

Visual Description

What witnesses saw:

• Larger than B-52
• Illuminated
• Distinct structure
• Not conventional aircraft
• Self-luminous

Size Comparison

Estimated dimensions:

• Bigger than the bomber
• B-52 wingspan: 185 feet
• Object exceeded this
• Substantial craft
• Clearly defined

Flight Characteristics

How it moved:

• Followed B-52
• Maintained pace
• Maneuvered freely
• Demonstrated control
• Superior performance

Multiple Sensor Confirmation

Ground Radar

Minot AFB tracking:

• Object clearly painted
• Solid return
• Tracked during approach
• Real target
• Not weather

Airborne Radar

B-52 systems:

• Object acquired on radar
• Crew tracked target
• Range and bearing noted
• Closing distance monitored
• Real-time tracking

Visual Observation

Multiple witnesses:

• B-52 crew saw object
• Ground personnel saw object
• Consistent descriptions
• Multiple vantage points
• Corroborating testimony

Electromagnetic Effects

Radio Interference

Communications disrupted:

• Static on frequencies
• Transmissions garbled
• Normal operations affected
• During close approach
• Cleared after distance

Navigation Systems

Onboard equipment:

• Compass fluctuations
• Navigation affected
• Electronic interference
• Systems disruption
• Documented anomalies

Pattern

The correlation:

• Effects increased with proximity
• Decreased with distance
• Consistent with EM field
• From the object
• Not coincidental

Investigation

Base Response

Immediate actions:

• Reports collected
• Witnesses interviewed
• Radar data preserved
• Security investigation
• Full documentation

Project Blue Book

Air Force evaluation:

• Case submitted
• Multiple explanations attempted
• None satisfactory
• Classified initially
• Eventually released

Official Explanation

Blue Book’s conclusion:

• Attempted plasma explanation
• Didn’t address radar
• Didn’t address EM effects
• Witnesses disagreed
• Inadequate resolution

Documentation

The AF-117 Forms

Witness reports:

• Multiple forms submitted
• Consistent accounts
• Professional witnesses
• Detailed observations
• Official records

Radar Records

Technical evidence:

• Ground radar logs
• Airborne radar data
• Track information
• Timing documented
• Physical evidence

Communication Logs

Audio records:

• Transmissions recorded
• Crew communications
• Ground control exchanges
• Real-time documentation
• Preserved evidence

Witness Accounts

Flight Crew

What they reported:

• Object clearly visible
• Followed their aircraft
• Larger than B-52
• Affected systems
• Unexplained

Ground Personnel

Security teams:

• Saw lights initially
• Alerted base
• Observed throughout
• Corroborated aerial sighting
• Professional witnesses

Analysis

Why This Case Matters

The evidence:

• Multiple sensor confirmation
• Ground and air radar
• Visual from multiple locations
• Electromagnetic effects documented
• Professional military witnesses

Unexplained Elements

What couldn’t be resolved:

• Object identity
• Propulsion system
• Origin of craft
• Purpose of encounter
• Technology displayed

The Question

October 24, 1968. North Dakota.

A B-52 bomber is on a training mission near Minot Air Force Base. America’s nuclear deterrent. Crew of experienced officers. Sophisticated sensors. The most powerful aircraft in the world.

Ground radar picks something up. An unknown target. Moving. Solid return.

The bomber is vectored to investigate.

The crew sees it. Ground personnel see it. Ground radar tracks it. The B-52’s own radar acquires it.

Something is there.

It’s bigger than the bomber. Bigger than a 185-foot wingspan. Bigger than eight jet engines and a nuclear payload.

And it follows them.

As they close the distance, the radios fill with static. Navigation systems fluctuate. The aircraft’s electronics protest the proximity of something they weren’t designed to encounter.

This isn’t ball lightning. This isn’t a weather balloon. This is an object that shows up on three different tracking systems simultaneously, that affects electromagnetic equipment, that demonstrates controlled flight, that dwarfs a strategic bomber.

The B-52 crew files their reports. The ground personnel file theirs. The radar data is preserved.

Project Blue Book attempts an explanation. Plasma, they suggest.

Plasma doesn’t show up on multiple radar systems. Plasma doesn’t follow aircraft. Plasma isn’t bigger than a B-52.

The Minot case.

Ground radar. Airborne radar. Visual confirmation. Electromagnetic effects. Multiple witnesses. Professional observers.

Everything documented.

Nothing explained.

One of the best-evidenced cases of the decade.

Still waiting for an answer.