November 3, 1957 — Levelland, TX
12:05 a.m. Texas Tech college student Newell H. Wright is driving west one mile west of Smyer, Texas, when the ammeter gauge on his car dashboard starts fluctuating widely.
The car motor gradually goes out then the headlights and radio die. He gets out to check and sees a white or aluminum-colored, oval-shaped object flat on the bottom like a loaf of bread, with a bluish-green tint, about 75–125 feet long. After a few minutes, the object suddenly rises up from the road ahead and ascends almost vertically at great speed slightly to the north, disappearing in seconds. Afterward the car can start again. [Eberhart]
Blue Book Documents:
When I prepared this case a couple years ago, I included a ton of sources for the flap in general and used this case as an example. So you can find many of the Nov. 2-3rd sightings, including this one, in the add-on sources further down.
Sources:
“Many West Texans See Mystery Flying Object,” Abilene (Tex.) Reporter-News, November 4, 1957, p. 1;
Richard Hall, The UFO Evidence, pp. 164,168;
A. Schopick, A Study of Secondary Effects, pp. 28–29; [pp. 26-36 for Levelland wave, there is no page 34, they made a mistake numbering the pages]
Jacques Vallée, Passport to Magonia: A Century of Landings, p. 262; [Case 419]
J. Allen Hynek, The UFO Experience, Ballantine ed., 1974, p. 143; [pp. 141-147]
Mark Rodeghier, UFO Reports Involving Vehicle Interference, CUFOS, 1981, p. 9;
Loren E. Gross, The Fifth Horseman of the Apocalypse: UFOs, a History: 1957 October 1st-November 2nd, Supplemental Notes, The Author, 2003, pp. 26-28;
Donald R. Burleson, “Levelland, Texas, 1957: Case Reopened,” IUR 28, no. 1 (Spring 2003): 4;
Brad Sparks, Blue Books Unknowns Catalogue, Case 1261, p. 254;
Michael Swords and Robert Powell, UFOs and Government, pp. 253–256;
Kevin Randle, Levelland, 2021, pp. 16–17, 212–214;
NICAP, “Oval-Shaped Object & EME on Ammeter”;
General Information on Levelland Wave:
Blue Book Record Card:
Blue Book Summary:
Brief Report:
“The Levelland Panic” UFOs and Flying Saucers, Issue #1;
“Levelland, TEXAS: November 2-3, 1957”, Walter Webb, NICAP Special Report 1957;
“The Levelland Case” (The New Mexico Story), APRO Bulletin, November 1957, pp. 1,2,5;
“No Saucers In Reports UFOs Seen,” Montreal Gazette, November 16, 1957;
“Did the Air Force Deceive the Public About the November Sightings?” U.F.O. Investigator 1, no. 3 (January 1958): 1, 3–9;
A. Michel, Flying Saucers and the Straight line Mystery, 1958, pp. 235-237;
Donald Keyhoe, Flying Saucers: Top Secret, 1960, pp. 114-117;
C. Maney and R. Hall, The Challenge of Unidentified Flying Objects, 1961, pp. 72-75;
David Jacobs, The UFO Controversy In America, 1975, pp. 134-137;
Don Berliner, “The Levelland Sightings,” Official UFO 1, no. 5 (January 1976): 22-23, 46-49;
Paul C.W. Davies, “The Ball Lightning Enigma; Can It Explain Many UFOs?,” Second Look 1, no. 12 (October 1979): 19–22.
Loren E. Gross, The Fifth Horseman of the Apocalypse: UFOs, a History: 1957 November 3rd–5th, The Author, 1997, pp. 1-13;
Jerome Clark, The UFO Encyclopedia, 3rd Ed., pp. 683–684;
Wikipedia, “Levelland UFO case”;
“Levelland 1957,” Texas UFO Museum & Research Library, March 15, 2002;
Rullán, Antonio. The Levelland Sightings of 1957: Analysis of the Evidence and Evaluation of the Ball Lightning Hypothesis, self-published monograph, 1999;
Antonio F. Rullán, “The Southwestern UFO Wave oF 1957,” International UFO Reporter 31, no. 3, pp. 8-15, 22;
Patrick Gross, “Levelland, Texas, USA, 1957”;
Kevin Randle, "The Levelland UFO Sightings” A Different Perspective, August 13, 2010;
THE UFO BRIEFING DOCUMENT - CASE HISTORIES
1957: THIRD AMERICAN SIGHTING WAVE
The Tex Files: Levelland UFOs
“Cars stalled during UFO encounters in Levelland, Texas, November 2-3, 1957,” Eyes On Cinema Youtube channel, September 26, 2022;
“UFO Education - The Levelland Sightings” orkojoker Youtube channel, November 20, 2010;
CUFO’s Case Files for the Levelland wave: