Nash-Fortenberry Sighting
On July 14, 1952, Pan American pilots William Nash and William Fortenberry reported eight bright red-orange discs maneuvering over the Chesapeake Bay near Norfolk, Virginia. The sighting entered Project Blue Book as an unknown.
On July 14, 1952, Pan American pilots William Nash and William Fortenberry reported eight bright red-orange discs maneuvering over the Chesapeake Bay near Norfolk, Virginia.
Brief
On July 14, 1952, Pan American pilots William Nash and William Fortenberry reported eight bright red-orange discs maneuvering over the Chesapeake Bay near Norfolk, Virginia. The sighting entered Project Blue Book as an unknown. The case became a mainstay in pilot-witness literature because both observers were commercial pilots, the reported formation changed geometry, and the timing landed days before the Washington, D.C. radar-visual wave. The report remains a witness case, not a sensor-confirmed event.
Metadata
- Date
- 1952-07-14
- Year
- 1952
- Location
- Norfolk, Virginia / Chesapeake Bay
- Region
- United States
- Status
- confirmed
- Tag
- civilian claim
- Primary
- Project BLUE BOOK. Unidentified Flying Objects
- Source type
- html
- Sources
- 2
Key Points
- On July 14, 1952, Pan American pilots William Nash and William Fortenberry reported eight bright red-orange discs maneuvering over the Chesapeake Bay near Norfolk, Virginia.
- The sighting entered Project Blue Book as an unknown.
- The case became a mainstay in pilot-witness literature because both observers were commercial pilots, the reported formation changed geometry, and the timing landed days before the Washington, D.C. radar-visual wave.
- The report remains a witness case, not a sensor-confirmed event.
Most Interesting
- On July 14, 1952, Pan American pilots William Nash and William Fortenberry reported eight bright red-orange discs maneuvering over the Chesapeake Bay near Norfolk, Virginia.
- The case became a mainstay in pilot-witness literature because both observers were commercial pilots, the reported formation changed geometry, and the timing landed days before the Washington, D.C. radar-visual wave.
- The report remains a witness case, not a sensor-confirmed event.
Timeline
- 1952-07-14 · Encounter
On July 14, 1952, Pan American pilots William Nash and William Fortenberry reported eight bright red-orange discs maneuvering over the Chesapeake Bay near Norfolk, Virginia.
- 2024 · Source record
Project BLUE BOOK. Unidentified Flying Objects is the preferred source material attached to this encounter.
Sources
- Nash-Fortenberry sighting report directoryNICAP / Project Blue Book document archive, 1952
- Project BLUE BOOK. Unidentified Flying ObjectsU.S. National Archives, 2024
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