Limestone, ME: Light over Weapons Storage
In summer 1977, Senior Airman James M. Dunn on K-9 patrol at Loring AFB's Weapons Storage Area saw a bright light beam at his truck at 2:00 a.m., causing a greenish glow inside. F-106 jets were scrambled shortly after.
Background
Incident
In the summer of 1977 at about 2:00 in the morning, Senior Airman James M. Dunn was patrolling as a K-9 security handler at the Weapons Storage Area of Loring AFB (today Loring International Airport) near Limestone, Maine. He received a call from a sergeant at the entry control point about a bright light above his vehicle. [Source: Eberhart, p. 844]
Observation
Dunn watched an intense light directed at the truck at an angle of 45 degrees. The interior of the cab glowed with a greenish tinge. After about 5 seconds the light went out. The sergeant sounded bewildered during the conversation. [Source: Eberhart, p. 844]
Response
A few minutes later two F-106 interceptors flew over the weapons store, evidently searching for a radar target. This suggests a coordinated military response, possibly in the context of nuclear security concerns at the site. [Source: Eberhart, p. 844]
Significance
The incident occurred at a sensitive nuclear storage site and fits earlier sightings at Loring AFB (for instance in 1975). The testimony of a uniformed serviceman and the scrambling of jets underline how seriously it was taken.