MOD file DEFE 24/2032/1

[REDACTION ON ORIGINAL" DOCUMENT I
• LOOSE MINUTE
D/DA0/1/13
/3 Nov 96
Sec(AS)2a1
Copy to: AOAD1
Reference:. Mr letter to SofS dated 24 Oct 96.
1. At Reference, Mr raises several points
concerning visual and ons which occurred during the
early hours of Saturday 5 Oct 96 and which are referred to,
incorrectly, as 'a visual unidentified flying craft sighting which
was correlated ~s different military radar systems'. The
substance of MriiiiiiiiJs letter is based on various reports which
appeared in the local press, some incorrect, ill-informe~
~lative, which I understand were provided to him by t111111111
JIIIIOf the ~taffor~s~i~e UFO Group. ~n addition, the let~er
1ncludes ser1ous cr1t1c1sm of the Serv1ce, and of the UK A1r
Defence system in particular; for this reason, exceptionally, the
facts surrounding the incident have been established in
considerable detail and set out below, together with resumes of
observations, actions and explanations. A map showing the location
of key agencies, equipment and observations is at Annex A.
SEQUENCE OF EVENTS
2. Initial Observations. At approximately 0205Z on 5 oct 96 a
Skegness police officer on mobile patrol at nearby Addlethorpe
observed stationary multicoloured lights to the east and low in
the sky which he reported to the control room in Skegness. As a
precaution, the control room relayed the sighting to Great
Yarmouth Coastguard Maritime Rescue Coordination Centre (MRCC),
suspecting it could be related to an incident at sea. The MRCC,
unaware of any maritime activity, asked the Air Rescue
Coordination Centre (ARCC) at RAF Kinless whether they were aware
of any air activity or incident in the wash area. The ARCC had no
knowledge of any such air activity and, in turn, asked the Control
and Reporting Centre {CRC) at RAF Neatishead if any aircraft
activity was present on the radar in that area; Neatishead had no
unidentified radar contact on the air defence radars being used to
provide air surveillance in the area and ARCC subsequently asked
the Distress and Diversion (D&D), located at the London Air
Traffic Control Centre (LATCC) West Drayton {not at RAF Northwood
as the Coastguard erroneously assumed and the press subsequently
reported). The D&D Cell reported a radar plot on the National Air
Traffic Services Claxby radar over Boston to ARCC, thence to MRCC.
At the same time, CRC Neatishead, which had conducted a search on