Laurinburg-Maxton AFB, North Carolina, October 22, 1952
THINK ABOUTIT UFO|UAP SIGHTINGS REPORT
1952: Laurinburg-Maxton AFB, North Carolina
The Oval With Red and Green Lights
A little after 10 p.m. on October 22, 1952, an airman standing guard at Laurinburg-Maxton Air Force Base saw what he first took to be a huge shape floating at him from the south. It was an oval object 100 to 200 feet across with two red lights in front and eight to ten steady green lights at the rear, passing low overhead.
The droning sound it made rose to an “earsplitting pitch,” unlike any jet or conventional aircraft. It circled, vanished to the west, reappeared and faded out to the east. He called for the corporal of the guard, but by the time the corporal came out it was gone; three other airmen confirmed the sound.
Date: October 22, 1952
Sighting Time: About 10:10 p.m. EST (2210)
Day/Night: Night
Location: Laurinburg-Maxton Air Base, North Carolina
Urban or Rural: Rural airbase
No. of Entity(‘s): None reported
Entity Type: Not applicable
Entity Description: Not applicable
Hynek Classification: NL (Nocturnal Light)
Duration: Not recorded; it appeared over the base twice
No. of Object(s): 1
Shape of Object(s): Huge oval
Size of Object(s): About 100 to 200 feet across
Color of Object(s): Dark, with two red lights in front and eight to ten steady green lights at the rear
Distance to Object(s): Low, passing directly overhead
Height & Speed: Low altitude; speed not recorded
Number of Witnesses: 1 saw it; 3 other airmen verified the sound
Special Features/Characteristics: A steady drone that built to an earsplitting pitch unlike a jet; a 180-degree turn to the west, a disappearance, a reappearance and a final fade to the east; clear starlit weather with unlimited visibility
Case Status: Unexplained; the card notes “data is sketchy” and lists no firm evaluation
Source: Blue Book file (57th Tactical Control Group, Pope AFB; Air Intelligence Information Report; witness statement and memory sketch)
Summary/Description: A guard at Laurinburg-Maxton AFB saw a huge oval with red and green lights pass low overhead on October 22, 1952, with an earsplitting drone that three other airmen also heard.
Related Cases: Late-October reports on the October 22nd–31st page
DETAILED REPORT
The report says A/2c Bernard F. DeMonte was on guard duty when he first heard a droning sound at a distance. His first impression was that a huge shape was floating toward him from the south. It passed over him low enough that he could see an oval object, one to two hundred feet across, with two red lights in front and eight to ten steady green lights at the rear.
As it passed, the sound reached an earsplitting pitch, which he said was unlike any jet or conventional aircraft and unlike anything he had heard before. The object flew a course straight north, made a 180-degree turn to the west, then vanished on the horizon. It then reappeared, turned east and faded out completely. Sound faded in and out as it moved.
He tried to call the corporal of the guard, who did not make it outside in time. Three other airmen later verified the sound, though none saw the object. The sky was clear and starlit with unlimited visibility. The message was delayed by an administrative error, and the card comments that the data is sketchy.
RESEARCHER’S NOTES
Laurinburg-Maxton 1952: One Witness, One Sound, Three Corroborators
- A single visual witness: The object was seen by one man, with the sound verified by three others, so the case rests on how much weight a sound corroboration carries.
- Date and time: The report header reads about 0310Z October 22 (October 21 local time if Zulu), but the message gives 2210 hours, and the live page already used 10:10 p.m. on October 22; October 22 is used.
- A report delayed: The message says the report was delayed by an administrative error, which delayed its arrival.
- Name: The airman’s name comes from OCR of a typed statement and may have small spelling errors.
Laurinburg-Maxton is a thin but vivid file: a single guard, a sound confirmed by three colleagues and a report that reached intelligence late.
