INQUIRY FAILS TO EXPLAIN JET'S UFO NEAR MISS

Internet UFO Group Media Archive

From:psjrl@cc.newcastle.edu.au (J.R. Lee Chin)
Title:INQUIRY FAILS TO EXPLAIN JET'S UFO NEAR MISS
Source:WEEKEND AUSTRALIAN
Date:Feburary 04, 1996


By HARVEY ELLIOTT in London

A BRITISH Airways passenger jet had a close encounter

with an unidentified flying object while landing at Manchester

airport, an official report disclosed yesterday.

The Boeing 737 with 60 people on board was overtaken at

high speed by a wedge-shaped craft as the aircraft descended

through 1220m on the final stages of a journey from Milan.

Captain Roger Wills reported that the UFO. which was

emblazoned with small white lights and possibly a black stripe

down its side, flashed silently down the side of the jet so

close that his co-pilot, First Officer Mark Stuart,

involuntarily ducked as it went by.

There was no sound and no wake but both pilots were so

concerned that they filed a formal "air-miss" report.

The Civil Aviation Authority launched all investigation

into the fourth such incident since 1987. After a year-long

inquiry, it concluded yesterday that they could find no likely

explanation. The three previous reported sightings also

baffled the CAA experts.

The incident happened at 6.48pm on January 6 last year

with the aircraft just above the clouds and visibility of at

least 16km. Then air traffic controllers had the following

conversation with Flight 5061:

B737: "We just had something go down the right-hand side,

just above us very fast."

Manchester: "Well there's nothing seen on radar. Was it

an aircraft?"

B737: "Well, it had lights. It went down the starboard

side very quick*"

Captain Wills and First Officer Stuart were certain the

object was solid and not a balloon, a model aircraft or even a

military Stealth aircraft, which the captain would have

recognised.

Both pilots should be commended for their courage in

submitting a report, investigators said.