1993, Officers comment on their encounter with an “egg-shaped” UFO while in a helicopter

Starflint

Member
Does anyone know anything about this case? Not sure how authentic it is, and if it did happen, what might this UFO be like as described by the two landscapes? :

Interviews with police officers:

Source: https://www.reddit.com/r/UFOs/comments/1i9pwje/1993_officers_comment_on_their_encounter_with_an/

Recent interview programs:

Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lCxdThFvjzY


Source:

Source: https://www.facebook.com/groups/431800543597751/permalink/8924095294368191


Helicopter & UFO Jefferson County, Kentucky 1993
Two police officers have helicopter dogfight with UFO during patrol
Date: February 27, 1993
Location: Jefferson County, Kentucky, USA
"Two Jefferson County air unit police officers — described by their lieutenant as "solid guys" — swear they had a two-minute dogfight with a UFO during a routine helicopter patrol Friday night.
Two officers on the ground said they, too, spotted the object. The UFO — a glowing pear-shaped object about the size of a basketball — literally flew circles around the helicopter, even though the fliers say they were moving at speeds approaching 100 mph.
In one blinding moment when both craft were hurtling toward each other, the UFO shot three baseball-size fireballs out of its middle, all three officers said. The fireballs fizzled into nothing. Officers Kenny Graham and Kenny Downs haven't talked much about their Friday night flight over General Electric Appliance Park because they fear few will believe them. But they are convinced they weren't hallucinating.
"We both go to church every week," Downs said as a way of explaining how normal the two normally are. "In fact, I might start going to church twice a week." Officer Mike Smith, in his squad car below, said he saw the object for only about a minute. But he confirmed the UFO shot three fireballs into the air and then disappeared. Officer Joe Smolenski said he tried for more than a minute to catch up to the object in his squad car. "I've been looking for 'em for 14 years, and I guess this is the closest I've come to something I couldn't explain."
Lt. David Pope, who was roused out of bed at 12:30 Saturday morning by a call from the startled officers, attested to their sanity and sincerity.
"These guys are totally solid guys," Pope said. "There's no doubt in my mind there was something out there."
The night started out like every other night. Graham and Downs got to work around 6 p.m. and were soon in the air flying a routine patrol. Graham, 39 and an 11-year veteran, was the pilot. Downs, 39 and a five-year veteran, was the spotter.
While in the air, they received a call about a possible break-in near Sanford Avenue and Buechel Bank Road. They flew off and quickly reached the area, which is near the northeast comer of Appliance Park, around 11:50 p.m.
As they circled, Graham saw something that looked like a small fire off to his left. Dozens of bonfires had been lit around the county that night by revelers delighting in the new snowfall.
But Graham soon decided i! wasn't a fire. Downs shined his 1.3-million-candlepower spotlight on the object, which began to drift back and forth like a balloon as the light washed over it. Then it gradually floated up to the helicopter's elevation about 500 feet above the ground, where it hovered for a few seconds.
"Then it took off at a speed I've never seen before," said Graham: an experienced pilot.
The object made two huge counter-clockwise loops and finally approached the helicopter's rear.
Graham, afraid-the object would ram his tail rotor, pushed his speec above 100 mph. The UFO shot past them and instantly climbed hundreds of feet in the air. It descended again and flew close to the helicopter. Graham tried to close the gap with the object, and it again flew away. As the UFO approached on a parallel course, the three fireballs burst out of its core.
Scared, Graham banked away from the object.
"When we came back around, it was gone," Graham said.
When the two returned to their base, Graham called the control tower at Standiford Field to ask if their radar had spotted anything unusual. It had not. 29
Downs called the county's radio dispatchers to ask if anyone else had reported sightings. No one had.
But the two did get confirmation from two officers on the ground, one of whom was Smith.
"I have no idea what it was," Smith said, but his confirmation cheered the two fliers.
"It makes me feel better," Downs said, "that there are... grown men out there who are sworn to protect this community and who saw the same thing."
Sources
"Police Officers Describe 'Dogfight' with a UFO," Louisville (Ky.) Courier-Journal, March 4, 1993, pp. 1, 5;
"Jefferson man says he created 'UFO' police thought they saw," Louisville (Ky.) Courier-Journal, March 6, 1993, p. 2;
"Unwanted fame; Officers who reported UFO subject of tabloids, teasing," Louisville (Ky.) Courier-Journal, May 8, 1993, p. 5;
"Louisville, Kentucky Police Aircraft Case," Flying Saucer Digest, no 122 (Summer 1993): 12-13;
"'Dogfight' with police helicopter," MUFON Minnesota Journal, No. 42 (July/August 1993): 5-6;
"Police Chopper attacked by UFO in Kentucky!," Weekly World News, May 11, 1993, p.;
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Article:
When they returned to their base, Graham called Standiford Field (now Louisville International Airport) to ask if their radar had picked up anything unusual, but it had not. No citizen had reported anything odd, either, according to dispatch.

The next day, a citizen in Buechel, near where the encounter took place, claimed what the officers had actually been pushing around a tiny hot-air balloon he had launched that night, and that its movements were as a result of the prop wash from

1743340006071.png

Scott Heacock and his wife, Conchys, showing a small balloon similar to what they claimed, they launched. Photo from The Courier-Journal / Bill Luster


the helicopter's rotors. Officer Downs rejected that argument, stated that he did not believe that six birthday candles (creating the heat) inside a plastic bag could have flown at the speed the object obtained.
 
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a 20 year old interview...but just an interesting tid bit that applies to other sightings i think.

Article:
Can you describe the object you saw in the sky?
It was round, kind of egg-shaped and it looked like it was a bright light, just a light, real bright, and it was traveling at great speed. Me and Kenny [Graham] differ on the circumference--he says it was the size of a basketball but I think it was about six-foot round. But I was fairly new to the helicopter unit and seeing things from that perspective, but it was pretty far away--the same as when you see a car from far away, it looks small.
 
As an example of parallax, balloons and helicopters, see:


Source: https://youtu.be/YYqVa59VRRc?t=51


That's cued up to the subject balloon shot, but the whole thing is worth a watch.

It may be significant that the first impression was that the "UFO" was a small fire. Is it was, in fact, the transparent fire balloon than that would make sense, as it would then be a small fire that was being seen -- just not on the ground and so closer/smaller.

The bit where it seemed to orbit them is also interesting -- that's sort of what you'd expect if the viewer is orbiting the balloon and overestimating the distance between you and the balloon (I recall discussion of the phenomenon somewhere on here in a thread about Fravor's sighting, my search skills seem to be failing me this morning.)
 
This was discussed on a long-ago Message Board circa 2002. Yeah, balloon.

The core misperception was a how big/how far misperception. The pilot saw it as large and far away when it was actually small and close. He didn't see it as something huge. Just bigger than it actually was. Therefore any small relative movement was misperceived as a surprisingly bigger movement. And fast, of course.

For example, if he moved toward the relatively stationary balloon the relative distance between him and the balloon seemed to shrink much more than it actually should. Something surprising. So he perceived it as an object that was rushing toward him.

There was a feedback loop. As the pilot tried to maneuver with the object, he reacted to the motions that he himself was causing.

Plus movements caused by the helicopter itself. The balloon was caught in the turbulence. It became a very confusing situation.

The balloon was fragile and fell apart due to buffeting. The fireballs bursting out of its core were the candles falling out.
 
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This was discussed on a long-ago Message Board circa 2002. Yeah, balloon.

The core misperception was a how big/how far misperception. The pilot saw it as large and far away when it was actually small and close. He didn't see it as something huge. Just bigger than it actually was. Therefore any small relative movement was misperceived as a surprisingly bigger movement. And fast, of course.

For example, if he moved toward the relatively stationary balloon the relative distance between him and the balloon seemed to shrink much more than it actually should. Something surprising. So he perceived it as an object that was rushing toward him.

There was a feedback loop. As the pilot tried to maneuver with the object, he reacted to the motions that he himself was causing.

Plus movements caused by the helicopter itself. The balloon was caught in the turbulence. It became a very confusing situation.

The balloon was fragile and fell apart due to buffeting. The fireballs bursting out of its core were the candles falling out.
I found a very similar case:

Source: https://youtu.be/BWQbTRyUQH8?t=83


It seems that many officers always misjudge the lantern
 
I found a very similar case:
Source: https://youtu.be/BWQbTRyUQH8?t=83

It seems that many officers always misjudge the lantern
Police helicopter pilot at timestamp 11:48
External Quote:
If you see the video you will see exactly what we saw, no more and no less and and you can make up your own mind.

In my mind it's it's fairly clear, I believe it's a hot air balloon or a lantern, something of that description. Who's to say whether I'm right or wrong?
I for one, say the pilot is correct. ;)
 
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