* Llandrillo where the alleged UFO incident took place in 1974.
The
release yesterday (Friday) of official Ministry of Defence documents dealing with
alleged UFO sightings has thrown fresh light on an a famous incident which took
place not too far from Llangollen almost 40 years ago.
The
documents, until now subject to government secrecy, have been published on the
National Archives website.
The
incident, near Llandrillo between Corwen and Bala, took place on the evening of
January 23, 1974, and is said by some to be an “extremely compelling UFO
event”.
According
to UFO writer Billy Booth, it began many of the residents of the village heard
an extremely loud noise.
In
an account published on the website About.com, he says: “Most of the citizens
thought that an explosion had occurred - possibly a plane crash.
“Those
who ventured outside on this cold night were astonished to see blue and orange
lights near the Cader Bronwen mountain.
“There
would be many eyewitness accounts of what was seen. The press immediately
investigated the occurrence, and interviewed those close to the scene of the
lights on the mountain. The first newspaper accounts made this statement: "There was
a huge explosion a few minutes after 8:30 PM. From various accounts, this
preceded, some say, by up to two or three minutes, a violent shaking of the
ground, like a medium-sized earthquake-objects inside houses were knocked off
shelves."
“Local police would
arrive at the scene first, soon followed by the Royal Air
Force. The area in and around the crash site was zoned off, with no one allowed
to enter. A search and rescue effort would be ongoing for several days, with no
information being related to interested bystanders or press personnel.
“An
employee of a hotel in nearby Bala would come forward with a very interesting
story. He stated that a group of men had checked into the hotel, and stayed during
the search of the mountains.
“They
did admit that they were involved in the mission, but could not talk about what
they had seen or found at the site.
“Another
account was given by a nurse who lived in Llanderfel, also close to the scene
of the crash. Local police had asked for the assistance of the nurse at the
crash site. She was told a plane had gone down in the area.
“Being
rushed to the scene, and not being able to get a sitter for her teenage
daughters, she was forced to take them along. Driving on B4391, at 10:00 PM,
the road was deserted. As she reached the foot of the mountain chain, she was
shocked at what she saw... a glowing UFO.
“She
and her daughters would later relate their story to the press. They saw a UFO,
which was almost intact. It was a large, circular object, and glowed an orange
color.
“They
were within a couple of hundred yards of the object, and were certain of what
they saw. They also saw emergency personnel, local police and military, close
to the object. The nurse was instructed to immediately leave the area. She told
the authorities that she was ordered to the site, but was quickly escorted from
the area.
“For several days, all roads leading to the
crash area were closed to everyone but authorized personnel. The nurse was told
by local shepherds that they were not allowed to tend their flocks during the
operation at the mountain.
“Most of the citizens that lived near the area
of the mountain crash were convinced by what they saw that a military cover-up
was being conducted.
“It is still a mystery as what exactly happened
on January 23, 1974 near the Berwyn Mountains of Wales.”
The MoD is said to have turned down the company’s request.
