AudioBlog: Part 3 A 1968 UFO Incident at Minot AFB

This is the third part of a series looking at a case from 1968 that
involved sightings of UFOs on October 24, 1968, by ground observers
stationed at the ICBM missile complex surrounding Minot AFB in
North Dakota. A B-52 was flying in the area, and the pilot was
requested to change course and investigate. The result was a UFO
encounter that was caught on photographs of the B-52 radarscope,
and the pilot, Maj. James A. Partin, and co-pilot, Captain Bradford
Runyon, reported that they’d had a visual sighting of the object
when it was on the ground. In addition to the sightings, it was
reported that the outer and inner perimeter alarms of the missile
site designated Oscar-7 went off and that a padlocked entry hatch
there was found open with a plug-style gate secured by a
combination lock removed from it. The case was officially examined
by the officer in charge of UFO investigations at the base who
provided details and evidence to Project Blue Book. The Blue Book
conclusion was that what was seen was possibly a combination of
“anomalous propagation” of radar returns, a plasma ball, and
celestial bodies. It was also concluded that the break-in was
unrelated. The case lay dormant for 30 years until Runyon contacted
the Center for UFO Studies and filled out a sighting report form.
The case caught the interest of members of the newly formed Sign
Historical Group and they did a thorough investigation that
included many interviews with witnesses. They’ve made material they
gathered available as part of the Sign Oral History Project on a
website devoted to the case. In Part III, we’ll look at the reports
by the ground observers. Read more