April 11, 1964 — Homer, NY
6:30 p.m. Physiotherapist Warren B. Ochsner and his wife and two children are having a picnic on a hill about 10 miles northwest of Homer, New York. They see an unusually wide vapor trail in the sky stretching from northeast to southwest.
At the far end of the white trail is a smoky, spiral portion about one mile long. The vapor trail drifts off. After 10 minutes, Ochsner notices that the spiral portion is still visible, having moved a bit to the west. With binoculars, he sees wisps of smoke streaming out of it.
It changes from a horizontal to a vertical position with greater smoke activity. It stops and hangs there for 2–3 minutes before sinking into the clouds. After another 3 minutes, they see a horizontal pencil-shaped object moving from left to right on the horizon.
A flash of white light erupts from its end and shoots forward a short distance then stops. It becomes thick in the middle, a cloud of smoke emanates from it, and it shoots backward rapidly.
Again it hovers and changes to a saucer shape. It then divides into two parts, one above the other.
The top object slowly recedes into the distance, while the bottom objects heads onward at a 45° angle, divides in two again, with the top part fading away and the bottom part assuming a vertical pencil shape, which fades away.
The whole display takes 45 minutes. [Eberhart]
Summary of water color prints by witness:
Letter from witness to J. Allen Hynek:
Letter from Hynek to Quintanilla:
Sources:
Thomas M. Olsen, The Reference for Outstanding UFO Reports, UFO Information Retrieval Center, November 1966, sec. 3, pp. 89–92;
J. Allen Hynek, The UFO Experience, Ballantine ed., 1974, pp. 60–61 [pp. 75,289 in edition I used];
Brad Sparks, Blue Books Unknowns Catalogue, Case 1559, p. 297;
Herbert S. Taylor, “Satellite Objects and Cloud Cigars,” IUR 29, no. 1 (Spring 2004): 7–9;
Mike Swords Archives, File 207D [Hyneks letters,Art];
Comments by Hynek from the FATE Conference of 1977:
“The Red Spray Case and Scientific Paradigms | Ufos # 3 - April 21, 2024,” Ufo Sunset Youtube channel, April 21, 2024;
