Adventure Magazine, September 1950

This document is a U.S. Air Force UFO incident report dated October 8, 1950, detailing an encounter near Effingham, Illinois. On September 13, 1950, between 1930-1940 hours, a civilian pilot and passenger flying a private airplane observed three lights arranged in a triangle formation on a collision course with their aircraft at 8,000 feet altitude. The pilot executed evasive maneuvers—a sharp right turn followed by a climbing left turn—while flashing his landing lights. The lights appeared as dim, dull red, steady, and evenly spaced, unlike standard aircraft position lights. Before the pilot could circle the object for closer observation, the lights vanished. The pilot, credited with 6,000 flying hours and 500 night hours, was deemed reliable and accurate by interviewing officers Lieutenant D. Willis and Major A.J. Boggs. The aircraft continued to Terre Haute, Indiana, landing at 2010 CST.