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This is a New Zealand Defence Force public release of RNZAF file AIR 39/3/3, "Flying Saucers," which covers 1952 to 1955 and was declassified in September 2010 under the Official Information Act. It collects sighting reports from the public and military personnel, press clippings, and a table of 1952 sightings. It also holds Carter Observatory opinions attributing some reports to meteors. A large part covers the inquiry into lights seen from National Airways Corporation Flight 108 on 31 October 1955, which the RNZAF could not fully explain as Venus.
“Hill”41 pages
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# NEW ZEALAND Our sincere thanks is due to Mr Julian Fletcher, a member and "Observer" to C.S.I. residing in Nelson. Mr Fletcher tracked down all the details to the series of strange events witnessed in Nelson skies from 19-25th March. Mr Fletcher also obtained and forwarded to C.S.I. a N.Z.Cadastral Map and neatly plotted-in, the position of the various groups of observers and the position and course of the round flat object that came down out of the sky on 19th March accompanied with loud noises. Our 'Observer' also interviewed & obtained written reports from a number of witnesses to the incident. The witnesses are thanked sincerely for there splendid co-operation with Mr Fletcher and the trouble they went to, to provide all details. Readers will remember reading the brief report in most NZ papers on Saturday March 20th, headed EXPLOSIONS AND STRANGE NOISES IN NELSON SKIES. Loud explosions in the sky followed by swishing noises were heard over a wide area to the north-east of Nelson at 2.35.pm yesterday afternoon. From Whanganoa inland on the Nelson-Blenheim state Highway to Delaware Bay, on the coast settlers today reported as having heard the strange noises. Now read the first hand accounts as obtained by Mr Fletcher. Mr Berkett's sighting of object in sky I9th March I954 2.35 p.m. It was a beautiful day with a clear blue sky, Mr Berkett was inside having a late lunoh, when he heard the first noise, but did not take much notice of it. Shortly after, on going out to attend to the pigs he heard a second noise in the sky, he looked in the direction of the sound but did not see anything after a few minutes there was a third loud noise, like an explosion, on looking up into the sky in the general direction again, he saw for the first time a round whitish soft looking object, not hard like a 'plame'. The object appeared to be twice the apparent diameter of the moon(full) and as it came down from the sky at an angle of 35 degrees it turned over twice. The object when first seen was high in the sky about 40 degrees SSE of Whanganoa. After travelling down to a bearing a little south of east, it suddenly shot up and away to the east and disappeared very quickly. While the object was coming down the noise continued but not so loud. It left behind - a trail that looked like five separate streams quickly merging as one as they diffused. When the object shot up there was no trail but a distinct hissing noise. The loud explosive-like sounds were at approximately five minute intervals. A Heron aircraft was seen at a much lower altitude than the object, planes pass the area frequently and make slightly different sounds dependent on the weather conditions. The object was in view for approx 1 minute and was estimated to be at approx 5000 feet going much faster than normal aircraft. Mr Berkett said the object was flat on one side and oval on the other, on the oval side appeared a hump in the centre of a darker shade. The object did not stop, but kept moving all the time. (see sketch below) as seen for the first time twice no onsize As seen coming down second time turning over As seen for the last time as object stopped falling.
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