Jul 21 2016

Chilly Billy Cardille Has Passed Away-July 21, 2016.

Chilly Billy Cardille Has Passed Away-July 21, 2016.

Bill Cardille and Stan at the 2012 Monster Bash Convention

Bill Cardille and Stan at the 2012 Monster Bash Convention

Bill Cardille, famous Pittsburgh Broadcaster and the iconic host of the “Chiller Theater” show that began in September of 1963, and broadcast on WIIC-TV in Pittsburgh for many years, passed away today.  Bill will be missed by his many fans and the Pittsburgh area public in general.

When Bill started hosting Chiller Theater in 1964  I quickly became a fan. Every Saturday night was  a Chiller Theater party night. I really enjoyed those black and white sci-fi movies that stirred my fascination even more as I began my search into the UFO and Bigfoot phenomena.

Bill Cardille also hosted another program that was broadcast, as I recall, during the late night-early morning hours on WIIC-TV. The show was called, “Mysteries Beyond”. On that interview show, Bill talked with local residents who had encountered UFOs or had other paranormal experiences.

It was my privilege to have known Bill for a number of years. When we would have a brief moment to reminisce, I always reminded him about the great memories that I grew up with concerning his hosting of Chiller Theater. We discussed the role he played in influencing me to conduct first hand investigations into UFOs, Bigfoot, and the Paranormal as a result of his interviews he conducted on that late night TV interview show.

Bill was one of the kindest personalities I had ever come in contact with. He always made time to talk to his fans and followers. He will surely be missed, and the memories he left with me will never fade. My prayers are with Bill and his family.

Stan Gordon

Jul 13 2016

2016 Kecksburg UFO Festival Schedule of Events

DSCN74402016 Kecksburg V.F.D. UFO Festival

July 29-31, 2016

Claypike & Route 982

5128 Water Street

Kecksburg, PA

724-423-9540

 

 

 

 

 

 

Jun 21 2016

Another Pennsylvania Bigfoot Close Encounter with a Car-April 17, 2016

Another Pennsylvania Bigfoot Close Encounter with a Car

From Researcher Stan Gordon  www.stangordon.info

Date of incident: April 17, 2016

Location: West Newton, PA

Westmoreland County

 

Synopsis:

 

Recently I learned of another Bigfoot encounter when I was giving a presentation on UFOs and Cryptid reports.  A woman and her daughter approached me and told me about an experience that the mother had on April 17, 2016. The witness, who was quite upset after the incident, called her daughter soon after it occurred. She gave her daughter a lot of details on the phone and her daughter proceeded to write them down.

Her daughter had brought along her note pad and shared that information with me. I had the chance to talk with the witness in detail and later that day, I went with the witness and another relative to the sighting location just a short distance outside of West Newton. I searched the immediate area, but nothing unusual was observed.

The incident occurred during the evening on a rural road just a short distance from West Newton. The woman was driving about 35 miles per hour and traveling towards West Newton. As she drove along the stretch, on the passenger side of the road to her right, she saw a tall dark figure come out of a clearing and walk up on the road just as she was about to pass that area. She slowed down to look and saw the creature was at the passenger side of the car. What she saw stood approximately 7 feet tall. It was covered with long brownish-red hair. The arms were long and skinny.

What frightened her the most were its large shiny red eyes that seemed to be luminous. The creature was looking into the passenger side window at her. The woman told me she was very frightened and hit the gas and sped down the road to get away from the creature. The witness mentioned that she doesn’t like scary things and had no interest in Bigfoot or watching such TV programs about the creature. She also stated, “I never thought it would happen to me.”

Addendum:

The West Newton area and other nearby Westmoreland County communities have had a long history of Bigfoot encounters. In the late 1960s, local residents reported encountering the “Lowber Monster.”  A white hair covered creature was reported by locals and strange footprints were found. There have been many other reports since that time including this encounter from 2014. http://www.stangordon.info/wp/2014/06/06/bigfoot-sighting-reported-near-west-newton-pa-may-17-2014/

This is the second  report in recent months where a Bigfoot came very close to a vehicle here in Pennsylvania. http://www.stangordon.info/wp/2016/05/12/bigfoot-touches-witness-vehicle-in-fayette-county-pa-a-report-from-researcher-jim-brown/

 

May 12 2016

Bigfoot Touches Witness Vehicle in Fayette County, PA. A report from Researcher Jim Brown

 

Bigfoot Touches Witness Vehicle in Fayette County, PA. A report from Researcher Jim Brown

From: Stan Gordon

 There have been continuous reports in past years of encounters with Bigfoot throughout many locations in Fayette County, PA. The earliest firsthand Bigfoot account I have on record dates back to 1931. Additionally, going back to the early 1970’s, some of the strangest Bigfoot incidents on record occurred in this area. Many Bigfoot sightings continue to occur in this area, and quite often along or near the Chestnut Ridge.

On May 11, 2016, I received a phone call from Researcher Jim Brown who lives in Fayette County. Jim has been a long time research associate of mine. His fascinating website can be found at: http://www.jimsdestinations.com/

He advised me that he had received an interesting report concerning two encounters with large hairy creatures. Jim wanted to see if I had received other reports. I had not received other reports from the date of the occurrence.

The following is the report Jim Brown has submitted on the case.

Hairy Creature Sightings–Near Fairchance, PA on Mud Pike- 5-10-2016

I received a phone call on the morning of 5-11-2016 reporting an incident that involved two “large hairy animals” on Mud Pike in Fayette County, Pa.  This report covers the facts as reported in that case. (Witnesses have requested to remain anonymous, Name and address withheld)  There were two witnesses in the vehicle, both interviewed separately and details are in agreement with each other.

Weather conditions – Pouring rain, fog, Temperature about 52 degrees F.

Observations occurred from inside the vehicle that was involved in the incident. (Details follow)

Date / Time – 10 May, 2016,  Approximately 2300 hrs.

The following summary is based on both initial phone interview and personal interview with each witness. The witnesses were returning from visiting family on Chestnut Ridge on their way home.  About half way down Mud Pike the driver saw what appeared to be a large hairy animal cross the road walking upright.  He did not see it very clearly and could not rule out a bear walking on hind legs.  But it did get his attention and he slowed to a crawl as he passed the area where he saw it.  Using a flashlight, both witnesses were trying to catch a glimpse of it in the woods below.  They did not see that creature again.

Suddenly a second creature came from the bank on the left into the path of their car about 20 feet ahead.  The driver immediately slammed on his brakes and stopped with the creature clearly visible in the headlights about 10 – 15 feet in front of the car. Neither witness had a camera so no photos were obtained.  I asked them to describe the creature.  It was about 7 feet high, standing upright on two legs with arms well below the hips.   It stared directly at the car, eyes glowing bright red.  It was covered head to toe with long, black or very dark hair.  The hair was so long that no facial features besides the eyes could be seen.

The body also was covered to the point that no sexual features could be determined.  Also noted were the palms of its hands which were hairless and black.  No claws were seen.   Feet were not seen as at the angle of view the hood of the car blocked the ability to see the ground at this close of a distance.  No smells or sounds were noted, however the car windows were up and the rain was beating down hard.  It would have been difficult to hear or smell anything under those conditions.

The driver had stopped the car and the creature froze watching them for a few seconds.  At that point the driver put the car in reverse and slowly started to back up.  The creature took a couple steps toward the car keeping about the same distance away as before. The driver again stopped the car and the creature did likewise. After a short time, the driver put the car in low and began creeping toward the creature.  The creature stood still and did not move from the spot where it stopped.

It did put its arms forward as if to protect itself.  The car continued to move forward very slowly to the point where both occupants could feel the car make contact with the creature.   It put its arms out and placed its hands on the front of the car, with the bumper against its legs.  The driver stopped again and did not try to force his way through.   The driver said he was ready to shift to reverse again and “get the hell out of there”. It was at that point the creature removed its hands from the car, took about one step forward then proceeded to walk into the woods below the road.  That was the last it was seen.  The witnesses went home and I was contacted next day via my website reporting form.

I followed up and did a personal interview on 5-11-2016.  The above information was obtained at that time.  I also examined the car for any evidence of contact.  None was found.  The car was also checked using UV / IR light for evidence of hand prints or skin oils where the creature is alleged to have been in contact.  Nothing was found, however it must also be noted that they drove home about 7 miles in driving rain.  It is possible any residue could have been washed off.   I also went to the area on Mud Pike where the creature was seen in an attempt to find any tracks or other evidence however nothing was found.  Much gravel and other debris was washed into the road from the heavy rain so I would expect any such evidence, if it existed, was destroyed.

My impression of both witnesses is that they seem credible.  I detected no sign they were seeking notoriety or wanted publicity.  Both gave the same impression of the event; frightening yet both wanted answers to what they experienced.

No subsequent reports of any other sightings as of this time. If any come in they will be referenced to this report.

J. Brown   Investigator

Feb 10 2016

Many Strange Encounters with UFOs and Mysterious Creatures in Pennsylvania During 2015

Many Strange Encounters with UFOs and Mysterious Creatures in Pennsylvania During 2015

From Stan Gordon

A section of the Chestnut Ridge in Westmoreland County, PA where there has been a history of Bigfoot and UFO sightings.

(photo copyright Stan Gordon) A section of the Chestnut Ridge in Westmoreland County, PA where there has been a history of Bigfoot and UFO sightings.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Did you see anything strange in the sky last year? Were you out in the woods and encountered a mysterious animal unlike anything that you had ever seen before? Did you experience an incident that you couldn’t find an explanation for? If you answered yes to any of these questions, you were not alone. Many Residents from across the state of Pennsylvania reported numerous observations of strange lights and objects in the sky throughout 2015. Some claimed to have seen formations of glowing lights, while others reported encountering spherical, cigar, triangular and rectangular objects from many locations of the Keystone state.

Even stranger were reports from many locations of encounters with mysterious creatures. Sightings of Bigfoot have historically been recorded for years, and these incidents continue to be reported annually. There were reports of huge birds with massive wingspans (thunderbirds) and even black panthers that are not common to this part of the world. Some creature reports were even stranger.

Citizens of Pennsylvania reported many types of strange incidents including seeing strange footprints, hearing frightening howls, whoops and screams from nearby woods, observing odd clouds, seeing fireballs crossing the sky, and experienced loud mystery booms that shook their homes. Some reported various paranormal experiences including capturing strange images on their cameras. As in past years, the majority of anomalies reported concern unusual lights and objects in the sky.

My interest in strange occurrences began in 1959, when I began to record and document mysterious incidents that were occurring in my home state of Pennsylvania. I was 16 years old in 1965 when the Kecksburg UFO incident occurred in Westmoreland County, and I began to document details about what had taken place. I began to conduct in the field investigations of UFO and cryptid reports after that incident, and set up a hotline in 1969, for the public to report UFO sightings and other unusual accounts. After so many years of interest in these strange occurrences, I still have never seen a UFO or Bigfoot.

I continue to record such incidents that come to my attention yearly via phone or email. Today there are many other researchers and organizations who also receive Pennsylvania reports. Some of these resources gathering this information include the National UFO Reporting Center, The Pennsylvania Bigfoot Society, the PA Chapter of MUFON, Jim Brown of Jim’s Destinations, and Lon Strickler of “Phantoms & Monsters.” I maintain contact with many UFO and Bigfoot investigators statewide and across the country.

When I began my field investigations many years ago into various phenomena, it became apparent that many incidents that initially sounded unusual, when properly investigated, were found to be explainable and determined to be of manmade or natural origin. Many UFO sightings are found to have logical explanations and over the years some observations were explained as bright planets and stars, brilliant meteors or re-entry of space debris, lights on aircraft, satellites, NASA high altitude tests, searchlight beams, lights reflecting off of insects, Chinese lanterns, and remote control aircraft. And now we have to deal with quadcopters (drones) with led displays.

Some Bigfoot sightings were only misidentifications of bear or large shaggy dogs. Others were camouflaged hunters in the woods. Many strange footprints were normal tracks that had been distorted by weather and ground conditions. The point is that many anomalies of various types can be explained. Not every UFO and cryptid encounter, however, can be so easily explained away.

While strange encounters are reported from many widespread locations from across the state, one of the most active areas for such unusual incidents continues to be along the Chestnut Ridge that covers sections of Westmoreland, Fayette, and Indiana Counties.

The following are some of the interesting incidents that came to my attention in 2015.

March 12, 2015- Two people had gone out to do some late night shopping near Monessen, located in the Mon Valley area. As they passed under a bridge, the car headlights struck a nine feet tall man-like creature that was covered with black hair that was standing along the side of a road. As soon as the lights hit it, the creature squinted its eyes and turned and tilted its head. The couple stared at the creature for about 15 seconds then quickly left the area. About 50 feet away from where they saw the creature, they noticed a terrible odor. The Mon valley has had a long history of Bigfoot sightings.

March 16, 2015- Numerous sources received information of a loud boom that shook houses that evening over a wide area of Fayette County from Connellsville to Uniontown. About the same time odd lights were reportedly seen in the area, which were followed by observations of an unusual amount of helicopter activity. A similar mystery boom was reported the night before in Allegheny County.

April 17, 2015- During the evening at a rural location in Westmoreland County not far from West Newton, two people were sitting off a country road and observed a bright white light in the sky moving in their direction which began to make a circular motion. The solid round white object, which made no sound, approached closer to them and hovered over some trees. Suddenly, the car and the area around it became illuminated by a dim white light that was emitted from the hovering object. The witnesses quickly left the area.

April 18, 2015- At a rural location in Greene County not far from Waynesburg, a driver observed what looked like a tall upright figure covered with hair moving quickly up a hillside near a construction site.

April 18, 2015- During the early morning hours, a witness located in a rural area near South Greensburg saw what looked like a tall dark figure in the yard. Later at that location, a large unusual footprint was found that measured approximately 16.5 inches long and 8 inches wide. In past years, other strange creature encounters have been reported from this general area.

April 21, 2015- Around 10:30 AM, a couple was driving between Parker and East Brady in Butler County when they saw a bright flash of light in the sky. The flash appeared to have been the sun reflecting for a moment off the surface of a very large solid object that appeared to be off in the distance over the Allegheny River. The witnesses pulled over to take a better look. The object looked solid black and rectangular shaped and looked to have 4 rows of windows or indentations on its surface. The object entered a large dark cloud that was nearby. The man readied his camera to photograph the object when it exited the cloud, but after 45 minutes, the object was never seen again.

May 8, 2015- Two people driving up a hill during the afternoon in North Huntingdon Township observed a silver metallic “pill” shaped elongated object that was rounded on the ends. The object was moving rapidly across the sky and was soon blocked by trees. When they reached an open view the object was not seen again. There have been many UFO sightings reported around the Irwin and North Huntingdon areas for years.

August 28, 2015- In the distant evening sky over the Laurel Ridge near Ligonier, witnesses observed an object that looked like a clear bubble with a fuzzy looking outside edge. As the witnesses watched, the strange object suddenly dropped straight down from the sky towards the ground. They expected there to be an impact and explosion but they neither heard nor saw anything after that. Many strange events have occurred over the years around both the Laurel Mountain area and Chestnut Ridge.

Late August-Early September, 2015- This incident took place around 5 PM on a sunny afternoon as the witness was taking a leisurely drive in eastern Butler County. Suddenly, 15-20 feet ahead of the vehicle and about ¾ of the way across the road, a being that was hard to describe was moving from right to left in front of the car. Whatever this thing was, it had a skinny body, stood about 4-4 ½ feet tall, and was similar to the color of a deer.

The head looked somewhat like that of a deer but was not real pointy. It narrowed at the top then rounded off. The creature was observed only from the side. The arms were very short and were held close to the chest. The hands were quite small and looked as though they were carrying something or being held together. No legs or feet were observed. The driver said the thing just “glided” above the roadway. When the witness reached the location on the road where the creature had been, it was no longer seen. The witness could not understand how the thing was just gone in a matter of seconds.

September, 2015- A witness reported seeing a huge black bird with a wingspan estimated to be over 15 feet wide that wasn’t flapping its wings, but just soaring through the sky. The sighting took place near the Cedar Street exit outside of Greensburg. This area has had a history of thunderbird reports. There were other reports of giant bird sightings from across the state during the year.

September-October 2015- Numerous reports of triangular objects were reported from various locations.

On September 1, 2015, a witness near Springdale located about 18 miles NE of Pittsburgh observed a very bright white light toward the west that evening. As the light got closer, an unusual loud sound was heard unlike that of jet or propeller aircraft. As the object passed low overhead, it appeared to be huge and was not any type of aircraft the witness was familiar with. The observer looked up at the bottom of a solid boomerang shaped object that had evenly spaced dim white spotlights that were all non-blinking along the edge of the underside of the object. The underbelly of the object had a greenish tinge. The object moved toward the east, then banked to the south and moved out of sight.

In early October at a rural location between Fayette and Westmoreland counties, a man walked outside of his home around 11 AM and looked up to see the bottom of a very large solid black triangular object that had appeared to have four exhaust vents. The object was moving very slowly about 500 feet above the ground and was completely silent. The man grabbed his cell phone which was completely charged to take a picture. When he aimed at it, the phone reportedly lost all power and would not function. This effect has been reported by other witnesses over the years.

November 23, 2015- At about 2 PM, a married couple was driving on a rural road about 2 miles from Ligonier. The driver noticed some movement in the bushes to the right of the road. Suddenly, an animal began to trot from right to left about 10-20 feet ahead of the car. The car was stopped as both witnesses watched something quite strange.

The animal was four legged and looked somewhat like a fox. However, they could only see the outline of the animal, as this creature was not solid, and no color or fur was observed. The husband told me that the animal had a “smoky veil shape” but his wife who had a longer look at it stated that she could “see through it.” She also said that there was a specific area within the body shape that was like an energy pattern. They watched as the animal entered the woods to their left and never saw it again.

December 24, 2015- At about 9 PM, a witness was outside when he noticed a solid triangular object southwest of Greensburg. There were a number of non-blinking lights on the silent object which was approaching closer to the witness location. The witness grabbed a floodlight and aimed it towards the object. As soon as the light hit the object, it disappeared and was not seen again.

December 9, 2015, was the 50th anniversary of the Kecksburg, PA UFO crash-landing incident. Late that afternoon in 1965, a brilliant fiery object was observed over a widespread area. That object reportedly fell from the sky into a wooded ravine near that Mount Pleasant Township community. Soon after the object fell, many eyewitnesses reported military personnel arriving in that area to search for the fallen object.

The object was reportedly taken away from that location on a military flatbed tractor trailer truck where it was transported first to Lockbourne Air Force Base in Ohio for a short stay over. The truck then continued on to Wright Patterson Air Force Base where it ended its journey. There have been many theories brought forth over the years as to what the object was that fell near Kecksburg in 1965. What that object was remains open for speculation.

To report a UFO, Bigfoot, cryptid, or any mysterious event from Pennsylvania, contact Stan at 724-838-7768 or email him at: paufo@comcast.net. Visit Stan’s website at: www.stangordon.info.

 

 

Dec 27 2015

Stan Gordon and John Ventre Debate the Latest Kecksburg UFO Theory-The GE Mark 2 Reentry Vehicle

 

Stan Gordon and John Ventre Debate the Latest Kecksburg UFO Theory-The GE Mark 2 Reentry Vehicle

December 23, 2015

 

Listen to PodcastUFO:

http://podcastufo.com/podcast/182-stan-gordon-john-ventre-debate-kecksburg-2/\

 

 

 

 

 

 

Dec 04 2015

Kecksburg UFO Witness Says Object Was Not GE Mark 2 Reentry Vehicle

Kecksburg UFO Witness Says Object Was Not GE Mark 2 Reentry Vehicle

From Stan Gordon

paufo@comcast.net

www.stangordon.info

Photo of the mockup of the Kecksburg UFO made for the Unsolved Mysteries TV show in 1990.

(Credit) Stan Gordon Collection

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I have always kept an open mind as to the origin of the object that fell near Kecksburg, PA on December 9, 1965. For years, I have stated that it was possibly a very advanced man-made space device that had some reentry control capabilities, or possibly even extraterrestrial. I learned during my 50 year investigation of the case that some local residents, after seeing the object descend into the woods went into that area to look for what had fallen from the sky.

Bill Bulebush lived in nearby Mammoth. He saw the fiery object as it moved from Norvelt toward the mountain near Laurelville. He ran to the road and watched the object in the distance as it appeared to hesitate, than make a turn and began to track back towards Kecksburg. He jumped into his car and went to the highest overlook. Down in the distant woods he saw blue arching and he entered the woods to investigate. He stood behind a tree as he looked at the acorn shaped object imbedded in the ground with strange markings on it. He also noticed the damaged trees in the area. Other independent witnesses came upon the fallen object as well.

Later, volunteer firemen from Kecksburg and other surrounding fire departments conducted a search in the area for a possible downed aircraft. One of those volunteer firemen was Jim Romansky who was not a resident of Kecksburg. The man walked over to the impact location after learning from a radio call he heard that another search team had found the crash site. Jim joined a small group of other volunteers on an embankment only a few feet away from a strange metallic object that appeared to be semi-buried in the ground.

Jim described the object as “a huge acorn.” His best estimate was that the object was at least 10-12 feet or more in length and about 8-10 feet or more in diameter. He said that a grown man could have easily stood up inside of the device and moved around inside of it. Jim, who later worked as a machinist and was familiar with metals, said that when he looked at the object, it gave him the impression that it was formed by pouring liquid metal into an acorn shaped mold. He didn’t see any seams or rivet marks where it was joined together. It was one solid piece of metal.

On the back of the object was the raised up area that the witness called the “bumper area” that he related to the cupule part of an acorn. It was on this raised structure that he saw what looked like symbols. He recalled seeing among those symbols zig-zag lines, stars and circles. Later, he spent time looking up information trying to identify the strange markings. The closest he found were ancient Egyptian hieroglyphics. Jim’s description of the mystery object that he saw on the ground in 1965 is similar to what other witnesses also described observing that day.

There was another physical detail that was observed on the object that is not widely known. Several witnesses were in a position to see the object without obstruction and noticed a rounded protuberance at the front of the object.

During the fifty years that I have been investigating the Kecksburg incident, numerous theories have been brought to my attention to explain the origin of the object that fell near Kecksburg. Among those theories have been a meteor, a missile, Cosmos 96 (a failed Soviet Venus probe), and even an extraterrestrial spacecraft. There was also information that an Air Force officer who had interviewed members of a local family at the time of the incident had related that the object was a Gemini capsule that had been expelled in the area.

Another man told me that he was aware that the object was a projectile fired from a giant gun from a railroad car in Canada. Other independent researchers had looked into secretive U.S. and Soviet space projects from that time period (other than Cosmos 96 or the GE Mark 2 reentry vehicle) and were sure their research could explain the object as well. Another person had information that it was a Soviet ICBM that went out of control. And a popular theory in more recent years to explain the object is the “Nazi Bell.”

In early October of 2015, PA MUFON State Director, John Ventre, and Owen Eichler, sent out a report and announced that they had uncovered another possible explanation for the Kecksburg object. The information in their report suggested that what fell near Kecksburg may have been a GE Mark 2 Reentry vehicle. That spy capsule had the capability to carry a nuclear weapon or be used for other missions, and according to the report, was not revealed until 1991.

I read the report and looked at the photo of the GE capsule. It was similar to a number of other space devices that I had looked into that had been operational in the 1960s. I contacted witness Jim Romansky to see if he had heard about the latest possible explanation. He had not, so I asked him to look at the photo of the GE Mark 2 to see if this was the object that he stood close to on the ground near Kecksburg in 1965. A picture of the GE Mark 2 can be found on the Smithsonian National Air & Space Museum website. http://airandspace.si.edu/collections/artifact.cfm?object=nasm_A19751430000

After Jim had time to examine the picture, his comments were, “Not even close. No Comparison. You can see it’s manmade and constructed.” He told me again the object he saw was not constructed like the GE Mark 2. He stated that what he saw “looked like one piece of metal. Looked like it was forged using liquid metal and poured into an acorn shaped mold. This thing you could not stand up inside of, the acorn you could.” Jim also said that the acorn shaped object he saw was at least twice as big if not bigger than the object he saw in the photo. The GE Mark 2 Reentry vehicle does not match the description of what witnesses saw on the ground near Kecksburg.

Investigative journalist Leslie Kean wrote a detailed account of her research into the Kecksburg case in the Volume 30, Number 1 edition of the (IUR) International UFO Reporter, published in October of 2005, by the J. Allen Hynek Center for UFO Studies. Kean got involved in the Kecksburg investigation in October of 2002, when the Sci Fi Channel launched its “UFO Advocacy Initiative” and the Coalition for Freedom of Information (CFi) was established with Kean appointed as the director of investigations. There was a lot of research conducted to attempt to find the answer to what the object was that had fallen near Kecksburg.

In 2003, Kean conducted a series of interviews with Nicholas L. Johnson, chief scientist for orbital debris at the NASA Johnson Space Center. Johnson is recognized internationally as the leading authority on orbital debris and foreign space systems. For many years there was speculation that the failed Soviet Venus probe Cosmos 96 may have been involved at Kecksburg since it reentered the earth’s atmosphere at 3:18 AM on the same date over Canada.  The Kecksburg object dropped from the sky around 4:47 PM. Consequently, as detailed in Kean’s article, Johnson was able to eliminate Cosmos 96 as the object that fell near Kecksburg.

According to Kean, Johnson also told her that Cosmos 96 was the only catalogued object that reentered the earth’s atmosphere on December 9, and that no other man-made object from any country came down that day. Johnson explained to her that anything not catalogued would have been so small that it would not have survived reentry, and anything larger would have been detected. Kean also quoted Johnson as saying “I cannot absolutely confirm that it was not some completely unreported event, but the chances of that are virtually nil,” Johnson said. You can’t launch something without somebody seeing it. By 1965 the U.S. and Soviets were both reporting their launches.” See the IUR story for more details. http://www.jerrypippin.com/kecksburg%20(2).pdf

Johnson also looked at the recently declassified CIA data concerning the dropping of film canisters from secret reconnaissance satellites during that time period. By checking the launch and retrieval times he determined that there was no secret mission that could have led to an inadvertent reentry of a capsule that day. As with other famous UFO cases such as Roswell, there are various opinions as to what the object was that fell near Kecksburg, PA in 1965.

Whatever that object was, it was important enough to quickly send armed military personnel to that quiet Pennsylvania community 50 years ago. I am continuing to uncover new details concerning what took place during the Kecksburg incident and my research continues into this local mystery.

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(This article was originally published in the July, 2015, Kecksburg VFD booklet printed for the Kecksburg, Pa UFO Festival.  See the Kecksburg VFD website at: www.kecksburgvfd.com.)

50 Years Later, The Kecksburg UFO  Incident Remains a Mystery

By Stan Gordon

It is hard to believe that when I started investigating a local UFO incident in 1965, that 50 years later, that case would become one of the world’s most famous unsolved UFO mysteries. I was a curious child at age 10 in 1959. My interest in science, electronics, and strange and unusual happenings led me to the Greensburg library and newspapers to do more research.  This was the beginning of my research into UFOs, Bigfoot, and other things that go bump in the night.

That Thursday evening is etched in my mind. I remember the day the Kecksburg incident occurred as if it was yesterday. It was December 9, 1965. I was eagerly awaiting that evening to tune into the Contact radio show on KDKA radio in Pittsburgh. The late Mike Levine, the talk show radio host, was going to have a guest on named Frank Edwards to discuss strange occurrences such as Flying Saucers. To my surprise, the program focused on a breaking news story about a briiliant object seen in the sky over a wide area that had taken place only hours before. The fireball was reported from as far away as Ontario, Canada, and seen by multitudes of observers over Michigan, Ohio, and Pennsylvania.

At about 4:47 PM, the object passed over the greater Pittsburgh region and continued toward Westmoreland County.  The object moved over Greensburg and headed out towards Route 30 east.  Near the old Gee Bee’s store, the object began to turn south and was observed from many local communities as it continued to move toward the mountains near Laurelville. The object turned and headed back toward the Kecksburg area, where it fell slowly into a wooded area. The telephones at news station WHJB in Greenburg were ringing off the hook with eyewitness accounts.

As my investigation into the matter continued over the years, I uncovered many details that were publicly not known at the time of the event.  It is now known that some local residents who saw the object descend that afternoon, quickly entered the woods in an attempt to locate what had fallen. They came across a strange object semi-buried in the ground. Trees in the area had been knocked over and damaged as well.

What they discovered looked like a giant bronze-gold colored metallic acorn shaped device that was large enough for a man to move around inside of. The object was one solid piece of metal with no rivets, seams, external apparatus, windows, wings or visible openings. On the back ringed section of the object were raised up markings that looked to be symbols and were described as looking similar to ancient Egyptian hieroglyphics.

That object,,whatever it was, appeared to have been of a high interest to our government. Within a relatively short time after it fell, the military began to arrive in the Kecksburg area. According to former Kecksburg firemen and other witnesses, the military apparently utilized the Kecksburg VFD  truck station as a temporary command post. The late Jim Mayes, the First Assistant Chief of the Kecksburg  Fire Department at the time, later told me that he organized the search that day for a possible downed aircraft in the area after numerous eyewitness reports came in of a fiery object in the sky.

As the report of the UFO falling near Kecksburg  that evening was being broadcast on Pittsburgh area radio and TV, hundreds of people found their way to that Mount Pleasant community. Among the large crowds that night were reporters from all of the major Pittsburgh radio, TV, and newspaper sources.  Many reporters I interviewed who were at Kecksburg that night confirmed the military presence.

As hundreds of spectators rolled into the area, so did the officials. State Police and the Kecksburg VFD  as well as other local authorities helped with crowd control. Later that evening, some of the country roads around the wooded area where the object had fallen were temporarily closed. Once the military showed up in force, it is apparent that they took control of the situation.

Many people who drove to the area that night were disappointed that they couldn’t go down into the woods to see what had fallen. Some teenagers that night decided to try to sneak down to catch a peek of the object. Many were stopped by armed soldiers. In some cases, I learned that military personnel aimed their weapons at civilians to make them leave the area. The military was unaware that some individuals apparently did make it down and near the impact site.

In my nearly 50 years of investigation into the case, I have spoken with hundreds of people who were involved with or have knowledge of information concerning the incident.  Many witnesses who were involved at the time only shared their experiences with those who were close to them. When they saw the official explanation the next day in the news that people had only seen a bright meteor in the sky but nothing had fallen, they decided to keep their experiences to themselves.

It was learned that that the object was taken from the impact area, early the next morning, on the back of a military flatbed tractor-trailer truck covered with a tarpaulin. The object was transported to Lockbourne Air Force Base near Columbus, Ohio and stayed at that location under heavy security for a short stay over. It continued on to Wright-Patterson Air Force Base where it was reportedly sealed in a warehouse building. Where the object rests today is not certain.

What the object was the fell in 1965 still remains a mystery. It was the early days of the space program. The object that fell near Kecksburg reportedly moved slow across the sky before it fell, changed directions along its trajectory, and made what looked to be almost a controlled crash-landing without parachutes into the wooded ravine late that afternoon.  Was this some very advanced manmade space probe which has been kept secret all of these years, or did we have a visitor from another world drop in on this friendly local community?  Only our government can give the residents of Westmoreland County and the citizens of country the answers to what they recovered that day so many years ago.

I believe that some area residents may still hold evidence from 1965 that can still help solve this historic case. I learned many years ago and heard again even more recently, that photos or slides taken of the object on the ground or of military personnel and vehicles that were on the scene may still exist today.  If you have these pictures or other evidence please help us to find an answer on this case and get in contact with Ron Struble at the Kecksburg VFD. or myself.  You can remain anonymous.

It is sad that many of those individuals who were directly involved with this incident have now passed on and never had any closure as to the true nature of the mysterious object that fell from the sky that day. The Keckburg incident is a part of our local, statewide, and national history. After 50 years, its time our government tells the public the truth as to what took place on December 9, 1965. Your help in providing these pictures can help solve the mystery.

Stan Gordon-P.O. Box 936, Greensburg, Pa 15601-724-838-7768 or paufo@comcast.net.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Dec 03 2015

Pennsylvania Couple Observe Transparent Creature –November 23, 2015

Pennsylvania Couple Observe Transparent Creature –November 23, 2015

Ligonier Valley, Pa

A husband and wife taking a scenic drive through the Ligonier valley saw something very strange and unexpected on the afternoon of November 23, 2015. At about 2 PM, they were traveling on a rural road about 2 miles from Ligonier.

The driver of the car noticed some movement in some bushes on the right side of the road. Suddenly an animal exited the bushes and began to trot from right to left in front of the vehicle. The driver stopped about 10-20 feet from the animal to obtain a better look. The couple was startled by what they were seeing.

This was no ordinary animal, as they could see the outline of the shape of the animal, but it was not solid and there was no color or fur observed. The husband as soon as he saw the creature thought that it was somewhat like a fox but could not be sure since no physical features could be seen. His wife also agreed that it was a four legged creature similar to a fox. The body of the animal was estimated to be about eighteen inches to twenty four inches long and had a tail that was about ¼ or ½ the length of the body. The animal was a lot smaller than a deer.

The husband told me that the creature had a “smoky veil shape.” His wife, however, got a better and longer look at the animal as it entered the road and trotted in front of the car. She told me that she could “see through it,” and that there was a specific area within the body shape that was like an energy pattern. “It was like a smoky heatwave.”

They watched as the animal continued to cross the road and entered some brush on the left side of the road and was not seen again. The couple didn’t hear any sound or notice any smell during the 4-5 second observation.

Addendum: This general area has a long history of reports of UFO sightings and various cryptid encounters.

 

 

 

 

Nov 29 2015

Light and Smoke Trail Observed Over the Derry (PA) Ridge-November 25, 2015

  • Filed under UFO

Light and Smoke Trail Observed Over the Derry (PA) Ridge-November 25, 2015

During the evening of November 25, 2015, over the Derry Side of the Chestnut Ridge, a witness was looking at the beautiful moon.  Her attention was soon drawn to the right side of the moon were she noticed a bright white light followed by a smoke trail, moving straight up into the sky. The witness commented, “it looked like a rocket.”

The light and smoke trail appeared to suddenly stop. A short time later the light and smoke trail began to move again. The witness took her eyes off of that area for a moment, but noticed a bright flash in the sky from that same area. When she looked back, the bright object had disappeared and only the smoke trail was still visible.

If you have any information on this please contact me: paufo@comcast.net

Nov 05 2015

Fireball sightings over Westmoreland County and other areas of Pennsylvania-November 4, 2015

Fireball sightings over Westmoreland County and other areas of Pennsylvania-November 4, 2015

There were reports of observations of what appears to have been bright fireball meteors on Wednesday evening, from locations east of Pittsburgh in Westmoreland County and other area. It seems that several bright fireballs may have been observed at different times. These observations are likely associated with the Taurid meteor showers that that will continue for another week or more.

Keep your eyes open if you have clear skies where you live. If you see one of these bright meteors over Pennsylvania, let me know when and where your observation took place.

Stan

paufo@comcast.net