TU-1956-900001 · Historic case

Lakenheath–Bentwaters: Suffolk radar-visual incident of 13–14 August 1956 (1956)

Radar and visual contacts over RAF Bentwaters and RAF Lakenheath on 13–14 August 1956; the Condon Report called it the most puzzling case in the radar-visual files.

Case number
TU-1956-900001
Date
13 August 1956
Location
RAF Lakenheath and RAF Bentwaters, Suffolk, England, United Kingdom
Coordinates
52.409° N, 0.561° E
Shape
light
Colour
Unknown
Witnesses
11
Status
unresolved

Case summary

On the night of 13–14 August 1956, radar stations at the USAF-tenanted RAF Bentwaters and RAF Lakenheath in Suffolk tracked a series of fast and erratic targets during a Perseid meteor shower. At 22:55 a target was detected approaching Bentwaters from the east at an estimated 2,000–4,000 mph; a rapidly moving white light was seen from the ground, and the pilot of a C-47 over the base reported a similar light passing beneath him. Ground personnel at Lakenheath reported several luminous objects, two of which appeared to change course sharply and merge.

Two RAF Venom interceptors were scrambled. The Condon Committee later obtained a classified teleprinter message which agreed with a letter from Technical Sergeant Forrest Perkins, the Lakenheath watch supervisor, that one Venom was apparently out-manoeuvred and followed by the target for about ten minutes despite violent evasive action. The committee's radar analyst, G. David Thayer, called it 'the most puzzling and unusual case in the radar-visual files' and put the probability of at least one genuine UFO fairly high.

Later research located the 23 Squadron Venom crews, who recalled only unimpressive blips, no tail-chase and no visual contact, and a squadron decision that any contact had probably been with a weather balloon. Philip Klass argued the case comprised false radar returns plus misidentified Perseid meteors; Clarke, Roberts, Randles and Shough later suggested radar spoofing trials instead.

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