March 25, 1954 — Fort Lauderdale, Fl
3:20 p.m. USMC Capt. Dan C. Holland is flying one of three jets with the 3rd Marine Air Wing on an easterly heading at Fort Lauderdale, Florida, at about 26,000 feet and 400+ mph. He sees a gleaming white, ball-shaped object with a gold ring around the lower third, about 2 times size of his jet, descending vertically on a collision course. He takes evasive action and radios the other jet pilots to look. The object suddenly stops 3,000–4,000 feet above his jet. He banks toward it and activates the gun camera, but the UFO accelerates and disappears to the east at tremendous speed in about 15 seconds. The other two pilots flying ahead of him do not see the object. [Eberhart]
William Nash letter:
Sources:
“Pilot’s Tale: ‘Flying Saucer’ Reported,” Miami (Fla.) News, March 26, 1954, p. 2;
https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-miami-news-pilots-tale-flying-sa/121527779/
“Pilot Sees ‘Object’; Was It a F----- S-----?,” Miami (Fla.) Herald, March 27, 1954, p. B1;
https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-miami-herald-miamiherald19540327/191705620/
“‘Saucer’ Sasses Scoffer,” Springfield (Mass.) Union, March 27, 1954, p. 16;
https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-morning-union-springfieldunion1954/194067003/
“Saucer Skeptic Sees Object”, Stars & Stripes, March 28, 1954, p. 3;
“Marine Says Saw ‘Saucer’ Doing Stunts”, Oxnard (Calif.) Press-Courier, March 29, 1954, p.12;
“Five Citizens Back Marine On Sighting Flying Saucer,” Miami (Fla.) News, April 4, 1954, p. 9; [Not sure why they get his name wrong here]
https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-miami-news/16229637/
Donald Keyhoe, Flying Saucer Conspiracy. pp. 115-116;
Loren E. Gross, UFOs, a History: 1954, January–May, The Author, 1990, p. 61;
Brad Sparks, Blue Book Unknowns Catalog, Case 1021, p. 211;
NICAP, “Ball with Golden Rings Stops near F-9F”;