THINK ABOUTIT UFO CRASH REPORT

1952 Ely UFO Crash:

The Secret Recovery of 16 Alien Bodies

The 1952 Ely UFO crash remains a high-profile case of alleged military recovery of an extraterrestrial craft in the mining district of White Pine County, Nevada. When witnesses, including local law enforcement and mining security, reported a brilliant, glowing object crashing into an embankment at the Robinson copper mine, they didn’t expect the immediate and aggressive military cordoning that followed. This CE-III encounter is characterized by the subsequent removal of an intact, oval-shaped craft on a flatbed truck and the alleged recovery of 16 alien bodies, which, if true, would represent the highest biological recovery from any single documented Ely UFO crash site. As a cornerstone of Nevada UFO sightings, the incident highlights the chilling reality of government intimidation and the “weird” history of the Silver State’s subterranean mining operations.

Date: summer of 1952 (August 14, 1952)

Sighting Time:  Between 9:00 p.m. and 10:00 p.m.

Day/Night: Night

Location: Robinson copper mine, near Ruth/Ely, Nevada

Urban or Rural:  Rural (Mining district/wooded embankment)

No. of Entity(‘s): 16 alien bodies

Entity Type: Humanoid (EBE – Extraterrestrial Biological Entities)

Entity Description:   Humanoid; accounts vary, but related 1950s reports describe entities roughly 3 to 4 feet tall in one-piece suits.

Hynek Classification: CE-III (Close Encounter III) Close observation with animate beings associated with the object.

Duration:   Unknown (The crash was instantaneous, but the recovery operation lasted at least several days)

No. of Object(s): 1

Height & Speed:  Unknown (Witnesses observed the object arriving before the impact, but specific altitude or velocity data was not recorded)

Size of Object(s):  Large enough to require a flatbed truck for removal

Distance to Object(s):  Close range (Witnesses arrived at the scene before military cordoning)

Shape of Object(s): Oval or dish-shaped; glowing and seamless with no visible windows.

Color of Object(s): Bright/Purple glow.

Special Features: Emitted a “low hum” and was reported to be made of a material that was “silver and translucent” or “glass-like” in related regional sightings.

Number of Witnesses: Multiple

Source: John Plestina

Report

Sometime in the summer of 1952, A Mr. Claude House, the Sheriff and his deputy, along with several other observers, watched as a bright object emitting a low hum lit up the area around the neighborhood. The next day, reports of a UFO crash began to make the rounds around the neighborhood, and a few of the witnesses went to an area around Kennecott, Nevada, to investigate reports of a possible Ely UFO crash that happened the previous day. When they arrived, the area was cordoned off and they were told that a light plane had crashed in the area. 

Another local resident, Mary Sorenson, related that a close friend working as a security guard at the time at a local copper mine, stated that he had witnessed a UFO crash in the same vicinity at the time of the UFO sighting by House but was sworn to secrecy by the government. The guard has since died and no other account concerning the incident was ever forthcoming from him.

Other sources list the exact date of the crash as August 14, 1952, as well as the claim that 16 alien bodies were recovered from the crash.

By JOHN PLESTINA
Ely Times Reporter

The alleged crash of an alien starship near Ely during the 1950s is remembered in “Weird Las Vegas and Nevada, Your Alternative Travel Guide to Sin City and the Silver State.” The eclectic collection spins strange yarns and tales of Nevada.

The new book by Joe Oesterle and Tim Cridland chronicles weird and not so weird rumors and tales of Las Vegas and most other parts of Nevada in a 247-page hardcover volume. Cridland lives in Las Vegas.

Now about Ely, there is a chapter titled Secret UFO Crash at Ely. The preceding chapter is called Nevada UFO Roundup.

The book tells the 55-year-old tale of a young woman (not identified) from Ely who allegedly witnessed a flying saucer crash in August, 1952. According to the book, several local people arrived at the scene before a secret federal (possibly military) team and claimed that they saw the remains of a dead alien crew. Some say the body count was the highest of any crash of a starship that was not of this world. Of course, the government squashed whatever happened in the interest of national security or to avoid an embarrassment.

Researcher’s Notes: The Robinson Mine Recovery

Witness Corroboration and Sheriff Testimony: The primary account involves Sheriff Claude House and his deputy, who reportedly witnessed the object’s arrival and secured the initial scene. Independent testimony from mine security guards and local residents like Mary Sorenson supports the timeline of a rapid military takeover, with guards being sworn to secrecy under threat.

The “16 Bodies” Controversy: While the case is famous for the “16 bodies” figure, researchers like Jeremy Meador note this detail is often debated as potential conflation with the 1948 Aztec incident. However, Ely witnesses maintain that the craft’s windowless, seamless construction made the interior inaccessible to local responders before the military arrived with specialized equipment.

Physical Evidence and Modern Probing: Recent investigations at the suspected crash site near Ruth, Nevada have utilized Geiger counters, revealing elevated radiation levels in localized patches compared to the surrounding terrain. This physical footprint provides a layer of scientific weight to the historical folklore.

The “Weird Nevada” Connection: The incident was chronicled in “Weird Las Vegas and Nevada,” where a young woman from Ely described the remains of the dead alien crew. The report suggests the government “squashed” the event to avoid national embarrassment, a common theme in high-stakes UFO crash retrieval operations.