Which agency produced A703 580/1/1 Part 10, RAAF Department of Air HQ UFO Reports?

A703 580/1/1 Part 10, RAAF Department of Air HQ UFO Reports is a primary-source record from Royal Australian Air Force / National Archives of Australia. Its original classification was UNCLASSIFIED.

What programs and topics appear in A703 580/1/1 Part 10, RAAF Department of Air HQ UFO Reports?

A703 580/1/1 Part 10, RAAF Department of Air HQ UFO Reports references RAAF Department of Air UFO reporting (NAA A703 580/1/1), Hobart, Tasmania, Australia, formation lights and trailing sparks.

What does A703 580/1/1 Part 10, RAAF Department of Air HQ UFO Reports say, in its own words?

"BRIGHT WHITE OBJECT , LONG AND SLIM WITH PORT- HOLES , WHICH WAS TRAILING LONG TAIL OF SPARKS . ESTIMATED LENGTH OF TAIL WAS 2 1 000 FT, OBJECT APPEARED IN DIRECT ION OF MT. WELLINGTON AND BELOW THE SUMrliT WHICH WOULD PUT IT BELOW 4 1 000' ALTITUDE . NO NOISE ASSOCIATED WITH SIGHTING ." (source p. 4).

← Files

DISCLOSURE / FILE

A703 580/1/1 Part 10, RAAF Department of Air HQ UFO Reports

Part 10 of the Royal Australian Air Force Department of Air UFO file A703 580/1/1, holding witness intelligence reports from late-December 1968 sightings around Hobart, Tasmania.

Brief

This 249-page tranche of NAA A703 580/1/1 Part 10 documents a cluster of UFO sightings reported to Hobart air traffic control on 29 December 1968, including five bright white objects trailing sparks logged by 36 adults at Bellerive and corroborating reports from the Aviation Met Office, Hobart City Police radio room, and police vehicles. The file collects standardised RAAF "Intelligence Report of Aerial Object Observed" forms filled out by named civilian observers, with weather conditions, bearings, and altitude estimates referenced against Mt Wellington. Witnesses describe lights in triangular and "V" formations, white and yellow in colour, moving north below 4,000 feet with no sound. The forms were processed by RAAF Hobart Tower air traffic controller K. Hansen.

Metadata

Agency: Royal Australian Air Force / National Archives of Australia
Release: 1968-01-01
Type: PDF • .pdf
Length: 249 pages
Classification: UNCLASSIFIED
Programs: RAAF Department of Air UFO reporting (NAA A703 580/1/1)
Tags: 1968, Hobart, Tasmania, Australia, formation lights, trailing sparks, mass sighting, RAAF, Mt Wellington

Key points

Hobart Tower air traffic controller K. Hansen logged sightings between 290108 and 290120 local time on 29 December 1968.p.4
Mr Treanor of the Valern Hotel, Moonah, reported a long, slim bright white object with portholes trailing a tail of sparks estimated at 2,000 feet, sighted below the 4,000-foot summit of Mt Wellington.p.4
Mr M. Jones of 63 Hill St, Bellerive, plus 35 other adults, reported five bright white objects travelling north parallel to the ground, showering sparks, with no noise.p.4
The Aviation Met Office received 7 sightings; Hobart City Police radio room received in excess of 20 sightings plus 5 reports from their own radio vehicles.p.4
Meteorological conditions at the time were clear sky, visibility 20 NM plus, wind calm, with a slight 150 thermal layer between 3,000 and 6,000 feet.p.5
Witness Mr K. Kovacs reported six white and yellow lights in a triangular formation moving north below visibility limits.p.8
Witness Mr Hellier of Sandy Bay reported six pink lights in a V formation moving north-east, with trailing light and no sound.p.10
Witness Mr Wynn West, observing from Hobart, reported multiple pink lights in a V formation moving north with no sound.p.12
Witness Andrew Cook (age 20), a typist clerk, reported three red and orange lights in triangular formation moving north as large as headlights of a car.p.14
Standard RAAF reporting form prompts interrogators to determine angle of elevation, angle of movement, and elapsed time rather than rely on height and speed estimates.

Verbatim

BRIGHT WHITE OBJECT , LONG AND SLIM WITH PORT- HOLES , WHICH WAS TRAILING LONG TAIL OF SPARKS . ESTIMATED LENGTH OF TAIL WAS 2 1 000 FT, OBJECT APPEARED IN DIRECT ION OF MT. WELLINGTON AND BELOW THE SUMrliT WHICH WOULD PUT IT BELOW 4 1 000' ALTITUDE . NO NOISE ASSOCIATED WITH SIGHTING .
p.4
BRI GHT WHITE OBJECTS, 5 (FIVE) in NUMBER, TRAVELLING IN A NORTHERLY DIRECTION , PARALLEL TO THE GROUND. OBJECTS WERE SHOWERING SPARKS AND MADE NO NOI SE .
p.4
AVIATION MET . OFFICE RECEIVED 7 (SEVEN) SIGHTINGS AND THE HOBART CITY POL ICE RADIO ROOM RECEIVED IN EXCESS OF 20 (TWENTY) SIGHTINGS , ALSO 5 (FIVE) SIGHTING REPORTS FROM THEIR OWN RADIO VEHICLES .
p.4
SKY CLEAR, VI S . 20 NM PLUS , WIND CALM. SLIGHT 150 THERMAL LAYER BETWEEN 3, 000' AND 6 , 0 00 '.
p.5
Since it is normally impossible to estl.mate the height and speed of a stra nge object, it will usually be better to endeavour to determine the angle of elevation of the object, the angle through which i t moved, and the time taken to do this.
p.15

Most interesting

The 29 December 1968 Hobart event drew at least 36 named civilian witnesses at Bellerive in addition to police, met office, and air traffic control logs.
Multiple independent observers described formations of lights moving north below 4,000 feet against the silhouette of Mt Wellington, with no engine noise reported.
Hobart City Police logged the event on their own radio vehicles, giving the file a chain of official corroboration beyond the civilian reports.
The RAAF form explicitly instructs interrogators to capture angular measurements rather than rely on observer height and speed guesses, a built-in epistemic safeguard.

Cross-references

PDFA703 580/1/1 Part 20, RAAF Department of Air HQ UFO ReportsRoyal Australian Air Force / National Archives of Australia
PDFA703 580/1/1 Part 5, RAAF Department of Air HQ UFO ReportsRoyal Australian Air Force / National Archives of Australia
PDFA703 580/1/1 Part 3, RAAF Department of Air HQ UFO ReportsRoyal Australian Air Force / National Archives of Australia
PDFA703 580/1/1 Part 2, RAAF Department of Air HQ UFO ReportsRoyal Australian Air Force / National Archives of Australia
PDF

Common questions

What is A703 580/1/1 Part 10, RAAF Department of Air HQ UFO Reports?: Part 10 of the Royal Australian Air Force Department of Air UFO file A703 580/1/1, holding witness intelligence reports from late-December 1968 sightings around Hobart, Tasmania.
What does A703 580/1/1 Part 10, RAAF Department of Air HQ UFO Reports reveal?: Hobart Tower air traffic controller K. Hansen logged sightings between 290108 and 290120 local time on 29 December 1968. Mr Treanor of the Valern Hotel, Moonah, reported a long, slim bright white object with portholes trailing a tail of sparks estimated at 2,000 feet, sighted below the 4,000-foot summit of Mt Wellington. Mr M. Jones of 63 Hill St,…
Which agency produced A703 580/1/1 Part 10, RAAF Department of Air HQ UFO Reports?: A703 580/1/1 Part 10, RAAF Department of Air HQ UFO Reports is a primary-source record from Royal Australian Air Force / National Archives of Australia. Its original classification was UNCLASSIFIED.
When is A703 580/1/1 Part 10, RAAF Department of Air HQ UFO Reports dated?: A703 580/1/1 Part 10, RAAF Department of Air HQ UFO Reports is dated 1968-12-29. It was disclosed 1968-01-01.
What programs and topics appear in A703 580/1/1 Part 10, RAAF Department of Air HQ UFO Reports?: A703 580/1/1 Part 10, RAAF Department of Air HQ UFO Reports references RAAF Department of Air UFO reporting (NAA A703 580/1/1), Hobart, Tasmania, Australia, formation lights and trailing sparks.
What does A703 580/1/1 Part 10, RAAF Department of Air HQ UFO Reports say, in its own words?: "BRIGHT WHITE OBJECT , LONG AND SLIM WITH PORT- HOLES , WHICH WAS TRAILING LONG TAIL OF SPARKS . ESTIMATED LENGTH OF TAIL WAS 2 1 000 FT, OBJECT APPEARED IN DIRECT ION OF MT. WELLINGTON AND BELOW THE SUMrliT WHICH WOULD PUT IT BELOW 4 1 000' ALTITUDE . NO NOISE ASSOCIATED WITH SIGHTING ." (source p. 4).

SharePost Reddit

loading viewer...

Extracted text · Page 1