RENDLESHAM.

Airmen John Burroughs and Jim Penniston were dispatched to investigate. They found a small triangular craft resting on the forest floor, covered in hieroglyphic-like symbols. Penniston placed his hands on the craft's hull and later claimed to have received a telepathic binary download. The craft silently lifted off and vanished.

Two nights later, on December 28th, Deputy Base Commander Lt. Col. Charles Halt himself led a patrol into the forest to investigate continued light phenomena. Halt made real-time audio recordings as the encounter unfolded — recordings that survive to this day. His team measured elevated radiation readings at the triangular landing indentations and observed a pulsating red light that split into multiple objects, one of which directed beams of light down toward the base.

Lt. Col. Halt filed an official memo to the British Ministry of Defence on January 13, 1981, documenting the encounters as factual military observations. The memo was eventually declassified. Halt has since spoken publicly about his belief that the craft was extraterrestrial in origin, stating he is "99.9% certain" of it. He has also alleged that US intelligence agencies intervened and removed physical evidence.

Soil and tree samples from the landing site showed radiation levels significantly higher than the surrounding area. The incident is often called "Britain's Roswell" — but unlike Roswell, it has an active-duty senior officer's memo, recorded audio, and physical environmental data to support it.