Cosford incident

Over the night of March 30–31, 1993, police officers, RAF personnel and the public across England and Wales reported lights in formation and a large triangular craft. A patrol at RAF Cosford saw it pass over the base. At RAF Shawbury a meteorological officer described a huge craft moving slowly across the airfield and sweeping a light beam over the ground. The MoD's Nick Pope pressed the case internally, and the files were later released to The National Archives.

Explanation

Most of the evening reports matched the re-entry of the rocket body that had launched the Russian satellite Cosmos 2238. The MoD found no threat. Nick Pope, who investigated for the MoD, argued that later reports, including a meteorological officer's at RAF Shawbury, were never explained.

What was seen

Shape: Triangular craft; lights in formation
Witnesses: Police officers, RAF personnel, members of the public
Duration: About 5 hours

Sources

• The National Archives (UK) — MoD UFO files

Browse

• United Kingdom
• 1990s
• Disputed
• Military encounters
• Official government documents
• Many independent witnesses
• Military witnesses
• Police witnesses
• Lights and fireballs
• Formations and rows of lights
• Triangles and V shapes

Similar cases

• Howden Moor — sonic booms and the search for a crash 24 March 1997
• Rendlesham Forest 26 December 1980
• Kapustin Yar — the KGB file on a night of lights over a missile depot 28 July 1989
• RAF Topcliffe disc — Exercise Mainbrace 19 September 1952