Westall 1966: 200 witnesses, Melbourne — the Australian UFO

The testimonies collected between 2005 and 2010 by Shane Ryan and his team are remarkably consistent for observations separated by several decades:

• An oval or disciform object, silvery or gray-green in color, with a slight bump on the top.
• The object appears to descend slowly, stopping at ground level or briefly "landing" in Coopers Field.
• He leaves at high speed, at an inclined angle, leaving the planes following him far behind.
• An area of flattened grass was observed on site shortly after departure.

Several elements of the official response fuel the questions:

• Soldiers and men in civilian clothes quickly arrived at the Coopers Field site — a response that seemed disproportionate for a single, unspecified incident.
• Witnesses report that the area of flattened grass is secured and cleared before independent civilian investigations can be conducted.
• Teacher Barbara Botter, who had gotten closest to the object according to some students, is described as particularly affected. She left the school shortly after and refused for decades to talk about the incident.
• Photos taken by students and at least one teacher have never been found or published.

Experimental aircraft or weather balloon

The proximity of RAAF Base Laverton suggests to some the possibility of an experimental craft. A descending weather balloon could explain the shape. Neither explains the reported departure speed or pursuit by civilian aircraft.

Meteorological or optical phenomenon

Air lenses, mirages, or localized plasma phenomena have been suggested. These phenomena do not generally explain "landings" or traces on the ground.

Unidentified object of undetermined origin

The consistency of 200 independent testimonies, the rapid reaction of the military and the existence of traces on the ground constitute for certain researchers indications of a real, unconventional phenomenon. This hypothesis can neither be confirmed nor refuted.

Westall 1966 is one of the best-attested cases by number of simultaneous witnesses in UFO history. More than 200 people observed something abnormal, in excellent daytime visibility conditions, in a social environment (a school) which makes spontaneous collective confabulation difficult. The rapid reaction of the military authorities and the disappearance of photographic evidence are elements that deserve attention, without being able to be definitively explained.

The nature of what the witnesses observed is not established. The case remains officially unresolved.

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