1960 Red Bluff UFO Incident
Case Summary
Late on August 13, 1960, California Highway Patrol officers Charles A. Carson and Stanley B. Scott reported seeing a silent, illuminated object near Red Bluff and Corning, California. They said it appeared to descend toward the ground, reverse direction, climb and hover. The object reportedly had red lights at either end and several white lights between them. Other law-enforcement and civilian sightings were reported during the wider regional wave. The U.S. Air Force investigated the reports, recording the case as unidentified while considering atmospheric refraction as a possible explanation.
Overview
The Red Bluff UFO incident took place during a concentration of reported UFO sightings in northern California in August 1960. At approximately 11:50 p.m. Pacific time on August 13, California Highway Patrol officers Charles A. Carson and Stanley B. Scott were patrolling near Hoag Road, east of Corning and south of Red Bluff. They reported seeing an object that initially looked like an aircraft descending toward the ground. According to their written account, the object moved silently, appeared to reverse direction when it was low, climbed and then hovered. They described red lights at its extremities and several white lights between them. Subsequent accounts described further movements and a prolonged observation. Other law-enforcement personnel and residents reported seeing objects in the region during the same general period, and some accounts mentioned radio interference or a possible radar observation. Those reports should not automatically be treated as independent confirmation of every detail of the principal encounter. The U.S. Air Force examined reports from the wider Red Bluff area through Project Blue Book. Its case file recorded the reports as unidentified, while considering a mirage or atmospheric refraction as a possible explanation for some observations. The incident remains notable for its police witnesses and historical documentation, but the available sources do not conclusively establish the object's identity or prove that all reports from the regional wave shared a single cause.
Case Information
| Date: | 1960-08-13 |
| Location: | Hoag Road, near Corning and Red Bluff, Tehama County, California |
| Country: | United States |
| Category: | UFO Sighting |
| Credibility: | Disputed |