1995: America West Airlines Flight 564 UFO Case

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THINK ABOUTIT SIGHTINGS REPORT

Date: May 25, 1995

Location: Bovina, Texas

Hynek Classification:  RV (Radar / Visual) Observation supplemented with radar.

Duration:

Shape of Object(s): Cigar

Number of Witnesses: Multiple

Source: Walter Webb Source

Summary: A Boeing 757 piloted by Captain Eugene Tollefson and First Officer John J. Waller, was passing near Bovina, Texas. Captain Tollefson left his seat to look [at a line of regularly flashing lights]. As the lightning flashed behind the lights, it silhouetted something that to the observers appeared to be a large, dark, cigar shaped object between 300 and 500 feet in length.

Full Report

UFO observed by America West pilots. (credit: Ronald Story)

Events from West Texas, May 25, 1995.

A cigar-shaped object with a row of brightly flashing lights along its length was observed over the Texas panhandle by the crew of a westward bound America West B-757 airliner on May 25, 1995. The case was thoroughly investigated by Walter N. Webb on behalf of the UFO Research Coalition, who interviewed the crew and air traffic controllers. Webb also obtained a copy of the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) voice tapes of conversations between airplane and ground during the sighting.

America West Flight 564 was cruising at 39,000 feet near Bovina, Texas, en route from Tampa, Florida, to Las Vegas, Nevada. First Officer John J. Waller and a flight attendant saw, off to their right and somewhat below their altitude, a row of bright white lights which sequenced on and off from left to right. Waller contacted the Albuquerque FAA Air Route Traffic Control Center while the sighting was in progress and checks were made with military installations in the area, but no explanation could be found.

As the airliner proceeded westward, the lights began dropping behind. Then they observed the phenomenon against a background of dark thunderclouds. When the background clouds pulsed with lightning, they could see the silhouette of a dark, wingless, elongated cigar-like object around the strobing lights.

Though they did not know the object’s exact distance, the pilot and co-pilot estimated its length to be 300-400 feet.

Air traffic controllers said the object was not visible on FAA radar. One of them contacted the North American Air Defense Command (NORAD), which monitors North American air space by radar, and said that NORAD had confirmed an unidentified radar track in the vicinity. This later proved to be a small aircraft whose transponder was not initially operative.

Next morning the controller said he had checked with NORAD again and was told that they had tracked another, very unusual target in the same general area a short time after the first something that at first was stationary, then accelerated rapidly and stopped abruptly, repeating this sequence several times. The bursts of speed were computed to be between 1,000 and 1,400 m.p.h. This report, based on the testimony of one air traffic controller, could not be confirmed independently.

Mr. Walter N. Webb, as chief investigator for the UFO Research Coalition, was assigned to investigate. His thorough questioning of NORAD and FAA personnel, as well as the airline crew, turned up significant evidence, including a tape-recording of the conversations between the airliner and the FAA air traffic controllers with whom they were in contact during and after the sighting. He edited two reports, interim and final, complement each other, and including sketches of the UFO and other illustrations.

Webb later filed Freedom of Information Act requests for Government information about the case, and also checked military installations for any activities that might explain the sighting, but no known object or phenomenon could be found that correlated with the sighting.

REFERENCES:

• “America West Air Line Case, May 25-26, 1995: Interim Report and Final Report on the America West Airline Case”, by Walter N. Webb, May 25-26, 1995.
• “Final Report on the America West Airline Case, May 25-26, 1995, by Walter N. Webb, Fund for UFO Research, Washington, D.C., July 1996.

Transcript of Communication Between Crew of the America West flight and the Albuquerque Air Traffic Control Center

This is a transcription of the communication between the crew of the America West flight and the Albuquerque Air Route Traffic Control center. It also includes several conversations between the Albuquerque ARTC and other locations, including NORAD, that were contacted in an effort try to identify the object. There are three terms used in the following conversations that I have not yet been able to get adequate explanations for: TIEBAND, BIGFOOT, and HIGH-BALLS. The term ‘tieband’ is spelled phonetically, but any help with them would be appreciated. The recordings of the ARTC communications obviously include conversations with other aircraft and locations that do not pertain to the object reported by the America West flight. I have only included those conversations that pertained in some possible way to the subject at hand and as such it is important to keep track of the times indicated to follow the progression. As such, this transcription begins with the first words from flight 564 to Albuquerque ARTC at approximately 9:21pm:

9:21pm…
AW-564: “Cactus 564 going direct crow, crow 6 arrival Las Vegas.”
ABQ: “Cactus 564…Albuquerque Center…good evening”
AW-564: “564 at 39,000′”

9:29pm…

AW-564: “Cactus 564…off to our 3:00, got some strobes out there. Could you tell us what it is?”
ABQ: “Uh, Uh..I’ll tell you what, that’s some, uh..right now …I don’t know what it is right now. That is a restricted area that is used by the military out there during the day time.”
AW-564: “Yeah…it’s pretty odd.”
ABQ: “Hold on …let me see if anybody else knows around here.”

9:30pm…

AW-564: “Cactus 564..can you paint that object at all on your radar
ABQ: “Cactus 564…No I don’t, and in talkin’ to 3 or 4 guys around here no one knows what that is, never heard about that.”
AW-564: “Cactus 564…nobody’s painting it at all?”
ABQ: “Cactus 564 say again?”
AW-564: “I said there’s nothing on their radars on the other centers at all on that (garbled) clear area, …that object that’s up in the air?
ABQ: “Uh?..it’s up in the air?”
AW-564: “A-FFIRMATIVE!!”
ABQ: “No…no one knows anything about it.” What’s the altitude about?”
AW-564: “I don’t know, probably right around 30,000 or so. And it’s uh…there’s a strobe that starts..um, going on counter- clockwise, and uh…the length is unbelievable.”
(???): “Where’s this?”

(NOTE: The last question above cannot be readily identified as having come from the Albuquerque FAA controller. Perhaps it was, however since a conversation with Cannon AFB began just at this point it could well indicate that the conversation was being monitored. The very next statement heard is the Albuquerque FAA controller calling to Cannon AFB.)

9:31pm…

ABQ: “Cannon 121?”
CANNON: “Cannon..go ahead”
ABQ: “Do you guys know if there was anything like a tethered balloon released that should be above ‘tieband’?”
CANNON: “Uh, no, we haven’t heard nothin’ about it.”
(BOTH)” “Uh, ok..(some chuckling), uh, ha..”
ABQ: “A guy at 39,000 says he sees something at 30,000 that’s as, ..the length is unbelievable and it has a strobe on it.”
CANNON: “Uh huh…?”
ABQ: “This is NOT good..(laughing)..okay…”
CANNON: “Uh, wha..what does that mean?:
ABQ: “(laughing)..I don’t know, it’s a ufo or something, it’s that Roswell crap again!”
CANNON: “Where’s it at now?”
ABQ: “He says it’s right in ‘tieband’.”
CANNON: “It’s right in ‘tieband’?”
ABQ: “Yeah!”
CANNON: “No, we haven’t seen nothin’ like that.”
ABQ: “Okay, keep your eyes open.”
CANNON: “I’ll talk to you (mumbled).”

9:34pm…

ABQ: “Cactus 564…we checked with Cannon and they don’t have any, uh, weather balloons or anything up tonight. Nobody up front knows any idea about that. Do you still see it?” AW-564: “Negative..back where we initially spotted it it was between the weather and us and when there’s lightning you could see a dark object…and, uh, it was pretty eerie looking. This ‘air coptr..(mumbled)’ right here going eastbound… maybe he’ll see it.”
ABQ: “Okay..”
AW-564: “First time in 15 years I’ve ever seen anything like this. It’s probably military in that restricted area.”
ABQ: “Cactus 564..you contact Albuquerque Center 132.8, goodnight.”
AW-564: “132.8 contact 564.”

Just then it sounds like another person in another aircraft breaks in on the conversation. It is never clear just what type of aircraft this is but the individual has clearly overheard the recent discussion.

9:35pm…

ABQ: “Aircraft calling..try again!”
(?): “Center…uh..got time for a quick question?”
ABQ: “Okay..would the question stand-by one please?… …okay..go ahead.”
(?): “(mumbled) 781, what was that cactus guy talking about he saw?”
ABQ: “I, I don’t know, off your right wing about 15-20 miles. He’s saying he saw a large object with a strobe that looked like it was at 30,000 feet.”
(?): “Ah…it’s that secret stuff!”

9:36pm…

AW-564: “Albuquerque…Cactus 564.”
ABQ: “Cactus 564..go ahead.”
AW-564: “(garbled)..that passed us earlier on the right. He’ll be in the area in a few minutes, is that correct?”
ABQ: “Yeah, he’ll be in there in about 3-4 minutes, at 27,000. I’ll ask him what he sees.”
AW-564: “..be at his left-hand side between him and the thunder storm. Thanks alot, we’ll just monitor and listen.”
ABQ: “Okay.”
AW-564: “Three of us up here saw it!!”
ABQ: “Okay.”

After a minute or so Albuquerque Center starts up a conversation with another aircraft. Again it is unclear at first what aircraft this is as there was no identification given and this aircraft does not preface it’s transmissions with any identifier. A bit later a statement is directed to “Hawk 85” which appears to be the aircraft in question.

9:31pm…

ABQ: “I can’t find…in the next 2-3 minutes. Be looking off your right side, if you see anything about 30000 feet, we had one aircraft reporting simething that wasn’t a weather balloon or anything. It was a long white looking thing with a strobe on. Let me know if you see anything out there.
(?): “I’ll be careful..(garbled)”
ABQ: “He said it was about 30,000′.”
(?): “(mumbled) I’m searching for ET.”

9:40pm…

ABQ: “Cactus 564…you still up?”
AW-564: “Affirmative! 564”
ABQ: “That was south of your position?”
AW-564: “It was north..”
ABQ: “Hawk 85, let’s make it out the left window then.”
AW-564: “Albuquerque, can we get a chance..Cactus 564.”
ABQ: “You know we’re all up here huddled up talking about it. When it lightning’d you could see the dark object. It was like a cigar shape from the altitude that we could see it..and the length is what go us, a…sort of confused, because it looked like it was about 300-400 feet long. So I don’t know if it’s a wire with a strobe on it, but the strobe would start from the left and go right, counter-clockwise…and it was a pretty eerie looking site, but a, had the strobe..

At this point in the tape copy I received there appeared to have been some problem as there was a brief approximately 1/3 second solid tone like a dialtone. Then there was a strong transmission like another broadcast trying to cut in. The previous conversation continued briefly and the tone appears again followed by another request to “Albuquerque Radio”.

9:41pm…

(brief but solid strong tone heard)
(?): “ALBQUERQUE RADIO?…ALBUQUERQUE RADIO?”
AW-564?: “..and it was just in the lightning…”
(?): (solid strong tone heard again)
(?) “ALBUQUERQUE RADIO?”
ABQ: “Yeah…is this one any better?”
(?): “Yeah.”
ABQ: “Oh good! Ha..hey you guys don’t know anything about some kind of weather balloon or a ufo that’s out in the vicinity of Fort Sumner tonight do you?”
(?) “I don’t think so…standby.”
ABQ: “Okay..”
(?): “At this point the answer to that question is ‘no’.” ABQ: “Okay..yeah, this guy sees it up at Tucumcari, says it looks like it’s 300-400 foot long, cylindrical, some kind of strobe on it, and everything else.”
(?) “Well…I would call it…I don’t know what it is..yea.”
ABQ: “Yeah, okay…I didn’t know if you were a science fiction buff or anything.”
(?) “Yea..no, we don’t have, we don’t have any published “high balls” today.”
ABQ: “Okay..appreciate it.”
(?): “Mmm hmm…bye.”

9:42pm…

AW-564: “Albuquerque, 564…last time…just for our notes we’re going to take a message. was that in a restricted area..and that was just basically south of Tucumcari when we reported it?”
ABQ: “Okay…the way you went through, the only restricted area was on your south side, nothing to the north side…and those restricted areas are inactive. There shouldn’t be anything going on.”

9:44pm…

AW-564: “Albuquerque Center..Cactus 564. Thanks for your help and, uh, could we get your call sign?”
ABQ: “Cactus 564…say again?”
AW-564: “Albuquerque Center..Cactus564..We’ll talk to you later. Before we go could we get your call-sign?”
ABQ: “Cactus 564…mine is ‘PP’.”
AW-564: “Was that ‘tango golf’?”
ABQ: “Pappa Pappa.”
AW-564: “Pappa Pappa…thanks alot.”

(End of Side 1, Tape 1..)

9:48pm…

ABQ: “Bigfoot…Albuquerque Sector 87.”
BIGFOOT: “Bigfoot’s on!”
ABQ: “Yea..I’ve got a, uh, something unusual and I was wanting to know if you’all happen to know of anything going on out here around Tucumcari, New Mexico,…north of Cannon? I had a couple of aircraft reported something 300-400 foot long..cylindrical in shape, with a strobe flashing off to the end of it.”
BIGFOOT: “Oh..?”
ABQ: “At 30,000 feet.”
BIGFOOT: “Okay…hang on a second.”
ABQ: “Yeah, I didn’t know if you happen to know of anything going on out there…no balloons in the area, no nothing reported?”
BIGFOOT: “Okay, where’s this at again?”
ABQ: “It’s at, uh, well ya’know where…it’s in Tucumcar, New
Mexico, it’s about 150 miles to the east of Albuquerque.”
BIGFOOT: “Okay, eh…how far from Holloman?”
ABQ: “Eh, Holloman, it looks like it’s off the zero-three-zero of Holloman about 220 miles.”
BIGFOOT: “Okay…I think, okay…it’s kind’a hard for us to see here. Okay, they’ll be zero for about 200. Um…we don’t have anything going on over there that I know of.”
ABQ: “Yeah…I didn’t know, we’ve tried everybody else and nobody else is…this guy definitely saw it run all the way down the side of the airplane. Said it was a pretty interesting thing out there.”
BIGFOOT: “Okay, it was at 30,000 feet..”
ABQ: “…30,000 feet.”
BIGFOOT: “It was like..long…um..”
ABQ: “Yeah, it’s right out of, right out of the X-files. I mean definite UFO or something like that, I mean.”
BIGFOOT: “..and..it..ooohh..ya’ll are serious about this (laughing).”
ABQ: “Yeah, he’s real serious about that to, and..uh..he looked at, saw it, no balloons are reported tonight, nothing in the area…”
BIGFOOT: “It was strobing off the front he said?”
ABQ: “Uh…I think the strobe was off the tail end of it.”
BIGFOOT: “Okay…strobe tail end.”
ABQ: “He said it was kinda, well it was dark but..(aside to someone else)..did he say there was lights in it?”
BIGFOOT: “How long did he say it was?”
ABQ: “He said it was 300-400 foot long.”
BIGFOOT: “Holy smoke!!”
ABQ: “..and we don’t have any air carriers out here so…that strobing along.”
BIGFOOT: “um..the only thing that I can do is , I wonder if any of our aerostats cut loose or something ’cause we don’t have any aerostats there.”
ABQ: “Yeah…not that far to the north.”
BIGFOOT: “I mean…to me it would sound like an aerostat, but..I don’t think ours are that big though.”