Hot Springs: Jet makes passes at lit UFO
At 4:30 a.m., police radio captured a jet from Ellsworth AFB making three passes at a brightly illuminated UFO moving up and down. Ground witnesses including sheriff and patrolman observed changing lights for 30 minutes.
Background
Military Pursuit
At 4:30 in the morning, the police radio in Hot Springs, South Dakota picked up transmissions from a jet of the 54th Fighter Interceptor Squadron out of Ellsworth AFB in Rapid City. The pilot made three passes at an intensely lit UFO that was moving up and down in the sky. On the third approach he reported that the object had appeared on his radar.
Ground Sightings
Pennington County Sheriff Glenn Best and Patrolman C. D. Erickson in Rapid City observed a UFO with lights changing from green through red to white for about 30 minutes. An upward-directed white light appeared repeatedly. They followed it toward the Badlands.
Further Observations
Police radio dispatcher Jack Peters photographed a bright object that he saw together with Highway Patrolman Don Kelm about 30 miles east of Pierre. It is said that ground radar of the 740th Aircraft Control and Warning Squadron picked up a return.
Sources and Significance
Reports in local newspapers such as the Rapid City Daily Journal and the Pierre Capitol Journal (November 26, 1956) and in NICAP documents rest on multiple witnesses from the police and the military. The event shows a rare combination of visual sighting, radar confirmation, and jet pursuit.