NUFORC Sighting 54372

Occurred: 1976-10-15 17:30 Local
Reported: 2007-01-03 08:59 Pacific
Duration: 8 hours
No of observers: 2

Location: Mineral King, CA, USA

Shape: Disk
Characteristics: Lights on object, Emitted beams

Two people view UFO in Mineral King National Park , California . Investigation by air traffic controller .

At the time of the sighting I was 26 and my friend was 30 years old . I was a plumbing contractor and my friend was a tile contractor . I was a native of Tulare county and my friend is a former British citizen , living in Tulare county .

We were experienced backpackers and were camping and fishing at Eagle Lake above Mineral King Valley . From morning until that evening we could hear an electric pulsating noise coming from a gorge on the south side of Eagle Mountain. We could tell that the sound was moving through the area , but we could not see anything .

At 5:30pm that evening , as we were cooking dinner, we heard a much louder pulsating noise coming from Eagle Pass. We both looked at the Eagle Pass and to our amasement saw a saucer shaped craft with a diameter the size of the opening of the pass, probably 75-100 ft. It was the color and skin texture of a grey whale and had 6 - 30" or larger diameter differing colored lights, all spaced evenly across the side of the craft. The circular, flush mounted lights were all flashing sequencially with all of the color specrtum . We aimed our Magnalite torch and flashed the light on and off with the craft flashing it's colored lights . We were both frozen with fear that this did not look or behave like anything that we have ever seen . The craft hovered for what seemed like 7 seconds and then reversed it's travel and disapeared behind the Eagle Pass , eminating it's pulsating sound for about 45 more minutes . We did not hear or see it again during our duration of our backpacking trip . I have been on this 8,000ft.+ elevation pass many times and it is very dangerous for any flying craft to move across .

I had a friend at that time who was a senior air traffic controller at Lemoore Naval Air Base . I told him about the sighting event and gave him a map of Eagle Pass with date and time . He was able to access not only the Lemoore Air Base computer , but also Edwards Air Base computer as well , which is on the east side of Mineral King Nation! al Park He said that there was no activity involving civilian , military or experimental aircraft in that area at that time or for that matter that week . He added that the area is off limits for military aircraft becuase of numerous wrecks at that same location . There are too many strong downdrafts with San Joaquin Valley air moving to the east , over Owens Valley . He said that if a military pilot was known to fly there , he would be suspended from flying . He also said that there is no known earthly aircraft with 36" diameter flashing colored lights and that the craft was not of this world . He also added that he has alerted the air force numerous times after seeing on radar large ufo crafts . He mentioned that after seeing f-18 air squadrans chase the large craft on the radar at full speed without catching up and then the craft disappears off the radar screen . He is a believer in ufos now . He said that he would speak to the pilots afterwards about the chase and would hear that the ufo was sighted in front of the chase , but they could not keep up , at that rate of speed , and it would finally disappear in front of their eyes . I can provide a detailed map of area .

NUFORC Note:

Witness indicates that the date of the sighting is approximate. PD

Posted 2007-02-01