UFO Pilot Under-Reporting Bias.

[Karl12]

Thought there was some pretty thought provoking data found in this article regarding a 'reality check' on just how many people actually report their UFO sightings (I know I didn't) and when it comes to military/civilian pilots there's always been serious concerns about under reporting bias due to fear of ridicule, perceived competence, job security, witness intimidation etc.
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After the CIA 'Robertson Panel led to the implementation of the JANAP 146 directive which basically made the reporting of UFOs to the American public an 'act of espionage' then I suppose fines of up to ten thousand dollars (and/or one to ten years in prison) also deterred quite a few pilots from discussing their experience.


2:00


Over the years there's been some truly revealing UFO surveys and polls conducted on professionals in the aviation industry (including this rather interesting one involving 1000 radar operators) but did think there was a really relevant report below concerning 'under reporting bias' from NARCAP's Ted Roe.




• Aviation Safety in America: Under-Reporting Bias of Unidentified Aerial Phenomena and Recommended Solutions.

Excerpts:


"We didn't say anything. We figured nobody would believe us."
Charter Pilot



"Upon return to my domicile, JFK, I reported our sighting to the proper authorities. I was shortly visited by two federal investigators who evidently thought I was hallucinating for one of them stated he had seen spaceships while fishing in Great South Bay and was quite obviously trying to prove that I was a loony."
Captain, Pan Am (ret.)



"It must have been Huge! We were all due back at JFK about the same time two days later so I waited in the crew ready room to talk to them. None of them wanted to talk! They were afraid management would take them off of flying status and have them tested for booze and drugs. The story never came out!"
Flight Engineer, TWA (ret.)



"a group of lights in the air appeared at our 12o'clock position. I called departure control and asked them if they had any traffic in that area. When they came back and said NO, what do you see, I said no, just checking. For at that time when a pilot reported seeing a UFO he was in a lot of trouble."
Captain, Ozark Airlines (ret.)



"I, and Flight crew saw something (in broad daylight) that did things that no known aircraft could do without killing any living thing inside. I will only give sketchy details to protect the privacy of the rest of the crew. If you are interested, and all information (is) kept anonymous, contact me. I will not present myself for public ridicule."
Captain, NW (ret.)


Technical Report - PDF File

Pentagon USAF UFO Officer Al Chop (described as 'one of the last honest men') also made a few relevant statements and although being initially skeptical gradually came around to accepting the UFO mystery based upon his 'ringside seat ability to review highly intriguing military reports about strange flying objects with apparent intelligence behind their control'.

His 'Clearance List' can be found here and contains some truly intriguing Air Technical Intelligence UFO reports.

• "You must remember that I was privy to the project files. These contained hundreds of official reports of UFO encounters made by military personnel from all branches of the service. They were all classified with a high degree of security classification. Almost all of these made pretty scary reading from the verbatim descriptions of the pilots concerned"

Albert M. Chop, Air Force UFO Public Information Officer at the Pentagon.

Chop also pops up in this vid but there's a good section on UFO pilot under-reporting bias featuring NICAP's Richard Hall and NARCAP's Richard Haines found around 10:30.

• "Airlines don't like to employ people who see strange things".

Dr. Richard Haines, Ames NASA Research Center - Chief of the Space Human Factors Office.

[Encia22]

A few years back, whilst waiting for a delayed train, I met a British commercial pilot who had recently retired. We chatted about a lot of different thing, quite a bit about aviation, both old and modern and he was very talkative.

After nearly two hours of commuting, I couldn’t resist asking him if he had ever had any UAP encounters. His countenance immediately changed, looked away, not being able to look me in the eye and hesitantly replied, “No, not in his thirty-odd years of flying.” I was hoping to just continue discussing the UAP phenomenon, but he switched to small talk about mundane things… like gardening. I don’t do gardening, so for the few remaining minutes of our trip he just went quiet.

I never forgot the look of terror on his face when I asked the question. 

[Karl12]

Bravo Encia and it's always good to ask these folks about their genuine thoughts and experiences (subtly or directly) as long as it's with respect.

I know a fair few old salty sea dogs where I live have witnessed 'strange lights' above (and below) the ocean and suppose the only way to get to know this stuff is to ask.

Don't think we'll ever get to know the true numbers on just how often people encounter UFOs but 'witness intimidation' looks to be a factor and below are a few pilot cases involving 'do not to discuss' (also some naval examples here).







• UFO incident from England involving three silver, saucer-shaped objects approaching a RAF Meteor jet.

Apparently the objects 'had a bun on top and a bun on the bottom' and as the pilot mentions in the telephone interview, he was bound by the Official Secrets Act from discussing his experience with the public.




See 24:30

During the period 1952 to 1957 there were a series of UFO sightings involving the military, which forced the MOD to rethink and then reverse its policy. These included sightings during Operation Mainbrace in September 1952 (including those at RAF Topcliffe), the West Malling incident on 3 November 1953, Flight Lieutenant Salandin’s near-collision with a UFO on 14 October 1954, the Lakenheath/Bentwaters radar/visual sightings on 13 and 14 August 1956 and the RAF West Freugh incident on 4 April 1957.

Link 1 / 2

Also three disc shaped objects confirmed on radar and witnessed close range by two RAF pilots in another RAF Meteor jet two years earlier.

Upon landing both pilots separated, isolated and ordered not to discuss - debriefed next morning by plains clothes officer (records of official investigation now missing).





From 4:30



Continued

[Karl12]

Three 'domed discs' confirmed on ground radar fly alongside private aircraft and are witnessed close range by pilot Carlos Montiel flying over Lake Tequesquitengo in Mexico, May 3rd, 1975.

This is a case where the witness reports that he has been repeatedly intimidated by unidentified people probably from a foreign country.

Link 1 /.2

Close range pilot UFO encounter where a bizarre yellow, oval shaped object flew just off the left wing of a Piper Arrow aircraft.

Pilot detained and interrogated for over three hours by five men in suits who tried to make him sign a document stating that he would never disclose details of his UFO sighting to the public.



See 59:10



Revealed: The UFO-Files of the German Secret Service BND

[Karl12]

Thought a good example of certain mindsets can be found in this interview with pilot Graham Bethune - apparently the crew of a U.S. Navy C-54 aircraft witnessed a disc shaped UFO over the Atlantic Ocean and a Naval Commander on board refused to look at it because he 'didn't believe in such things'.

'Whatever you do don't tell anybody thay we saw a flying saucer because they'll probably lock us up when we land.'

Bethune/Gander UFO Incident, Feb 10th, 1951, Newfoundland, Canada

Graeme Rendall also discusses his archival research below on global Foo Fighter pilot sightings from the early 1940's and turns out the same mindset was prevalent even back then.



From 6:40

[Karl12]

Forgot to add the thread links:


• Pilot Sightings - (PDF File)

• NARACAP Aircraft Survey Project (PDF File)

• The UFO Evidence - Section V - PILOTS & AVIATION EXPERTS