An artist's reconstruction of the 'bunch of balloons' object reported by Pat Spafford and Al Matisoff, which demonstrated supersonic acceleration over the Rose Bowl
THINK ABOUTIT UFO SIGHTING REPORT
1972 Pasadena Police Helicopter UFO Encounter:
Supersonic Acceleration
The 1972 Pasadena Police helicopter UFO encounter remains a premier example of a professional-witness sighting involving a highly anomalous craft. While on night patrol near the San Gabriel foothills, pilot Pat Spafford and a police observer encountered a rotating, “balloon-like” object that displayed flight characteristics far beyond conventional aeronautics. The incident is technically significant for the craft’s transition from a low-speed pace to supersonic acceleration over a densely populated urban area, all while remaining completely invisible to LAX radar.
Date: October 15, 1972
Sighting Time: Night Patrol.
Day/Night: Night
Location: Pasadena, California (Northeast area near foothills)
Urban or Rural: Airplane Urban/Foothills
Hynek Classification: NL (Nocturnal Light) Point or extended luminous source observed at night.
Duration: Several minutes
No. of Object(s): 1
Height & Speed: 1,000 ft. AGL; 60 mph to Supersonic.
Distance to Object(s): Approx. 300 meters.
Shape of Object(s): round
Color of Object(s): No lights observed; rotating.
Number of Witnesses: 2 (Pilot & Observer)
Source: MUFON Submitter 15633
Report
10-15-1972-California-
My date and times are approximate. I was assigned as a Police Helicopter Observer with the Pasadena Police Department and flying night patrol.
The pilot was Pat Spafford. In the northeast area of Pasadena, very close to the foothills, we observed what appeared to be a Military Sikorsky helicopter hovering very low over a residential area.
The helicopter was turning its landing light off and on. As we got closer, it gained elevation and started heading westbound. Being curious we started to follow it. We were approximately 1,000 ft. AGL.
The military helicopter then appeared to lose altitude quickly as if it was going into autorotation.
Then about 300 meters past it, we saw what first appeared to be a large object looking like a bunch of big balloons tied together. The object was going at our exact airspeed, which was about 60 mph. The object was round and appeared to be rotating.
I saw no lights on it. Pat began yelling over the intercom that he was seeing a UFO. I immediately shut off our running lights so I could activate our “night star” searchlight. The running lights were shut off because there would be too many amps going through the system with all the lights on and pop a breaker.
Shutting off the running lights to power up the searchlight was S.O.P. (Standard Operating Procedure)
Pat questioned what I was doing, and when I told him I was going to “light it up”, he said, “No,” and turned the running lights back on. We had a short argument about doing this or not, but he got the final word because he was the pilot.
We watched the object for a few minutes and it flew abeam us going west. We then noticed that there was some fog coming in the L. A. basin, which was a signal for us to fly back to Bracket Field in Pomona, where we hangared the helicopter so as not to get caught in the fog.
As we approached the west end of the city near the Rose Bowl, this object gained speed and in just a few seconds accelerated towards the L. A. skyline and disappeared out of sight. The speed it went was faster than supersonic. We were both amazed at how fast it accelerated.
We came back to the hangar and immediately started making calls. Pat called LAX to see if they had any such object on their radar. He got a “negative” from them. I called JPL in Pasadena to see if they had any kind of experiment going on and they said no.
I was taken back by the response I got from them because the person I spoke to sounded like this was an everyday occurrence. We both wrote an incident report and turned it in. I kept this to myself until one day, about 2 weeks later, the Police Chief saw me in the hallway and yelled, “Hey Al, did you see any more giant Frisbees?”
Since that time I have told this story to people but never made a big deal about it. I also never found out if anyone forwarded that report or investigated it further. I left the PD in 1979 to join the San Luis Obispo County Sheriff’s Dept.
Just thought I would tell this story to someone who would enjoy hearing it. Pat Spaffor passed away some time ago, but I’m sure there are plenty of people that will remember that story from the old days.
I have attached a picture of myself with Pat Spafford taken around the time this happened. This photo was out of the Pasadena Star-News on February 13, 1972.
source: MUFON
Researcher Notes: The Spafford-Pasadena Case (1972)
These notes highlight the unique professional witness perspective and the aeronautical impossibilities reported:
Professional Witness Credibility: The primary witnesses were a Pasadena Police Department helicopter crew. Their background in aerial observation and familiarity with local military and civilian aircraft provides a level of technical expertise that distinguishes this case from standard civilian reports.
Aeronautical Anomaly (Acceleration): The core technical mystery is the object’s instantaneous transition from a 60 mph pace (matching the helicopter) to supersonic speed in a matter of seconds. This maneuver occurred over the Rose Bowl area without a visible propulsion system or a recorded sonic boom.
Radar Invisibility: Despite the close proximity of approximately 300 meters, LAX radar provided a “negative” report on any such object. This suggests the craft possessed stealth capabilities or a non-reflective surface that absorbed or deflected radar pulses.
Standard Operating Procedure (S.O.P.) Constraints: The observer attempted to “light it up” with the helicopter’s “night star” searchlight, which required shutting off the running lights to avoid popping a breaker. However, the pilot declined the action, illustrating the split-second decision-making and friction inherent in high-stress aerial encounters.
Institutional Nonchalance: When contacting JPL in Pasadena, the witness noted the representative sounded as if such reports were an “everyday occurrence.” This, combined with the Police Chief’s later “giant Frisbee” remark, suggests a quiet but persistent history of anomalies in the San Gabriel region.
The “Frisbee” Culture: The Police Chief’s later “giant Frisbee” comment and the JPL representative’s nonchalant tone suggest that such anomalies might have been a more frequent, though unofficial, occurrence in the San Gabriel foothills at the time.
In October 1972, pilot Pat Spafford and a police observer were conducting a night patrol over Pasadena when they spotted what looked like a military Sikorsky helicopter hovering low over a residence. As they approached, the “helicopter” climbed and began heading west. Upon closer inspection, they realized the object was actually a large, rotating, round craft resembling a cluster of balloons.
The object paced the police helicopter at exactly 60 mph at an altitude of 1,000 feet. Near the Rose Bowl, the craft suddenly demonstrated supersonic acceleration, vanishing toward the Los Angeles skyline in seconds. Despite an official incident report and immediate inquiries to LAX and JPL, no conventional explanation was found. The case remains a compelling “Unknown” due to the professional testimony and the reported aeronautical impossibilities.
“As we approached the west end of the city near the Rose Bowl, this object gained speed and in just a few seconds accelerated towards the L. A. skyline and disappeared out of sight. The speed it went was faster than supersonic.”
Pasadena Police Observer
