107. The Alderney UFO Incident - Into The Dark

Summary

Podcast Summary: Into The Dark - Episode 107: The Alderney UFO Incident

Introduction In Episode 107 of Into The Dark, host Pete Moreland explores the enigmatic Alderney UFO Incident—a series of unexplained aerial sightings over the British isle of Alderney in 2007. Combining elements of true crime, mystery, and the supernatural, Moreland delves deep into the events, eyewitness accounts, and the subsequent governmental response, leaving listeners to ponder the age-old question: “Why do people do what they do?”

The Alderney UFO Incident

Setting the Scene On April 23, 2007, Ray Bowyer, a seasoned pilot, embarked on a routine flight from Southampton Airport to Alderney, a small island in the Channel Islands with a population of approximately 2,000. Flying a Trilander aircraft—a small plane with about 15 seats—Ray was accustomed to the clear skies and predictable weather of the region. However, his routine flight took an extraordinary turn fifteen minutes after departure.

The First Sighting At approximately 2:45 PM, Ray noticed a golden yellow light in his peripheral vision, seemingly on a collision course with his plane. Initially suspecting a reflection from another aircraft, Ray quickly dismissed this notion upon realizing the improbability of another plane flying at such a low altitude and without proper clearance.

“It was like a very flat platform... I just couldn't believe what I was seeing.”
— Ray Bowyer [12:30]

Passenger Reactions With no barrier between the cockpit and the passenger area, Ray’s confusion was palpable to everyone on board. Passengers began to notice the unusual behavior, prompting questions and growing unease.

“He's pointing at something out the window, and I have no idea what's going on.”
— Kate Russell, Passenger [07:45]

As Ray consulted with ground control, his account prompted a rare confirmation: ground radar also detected an unidentified object. This mutual recognition intensified the mystery, especially when Ray observed not one but two colossal, cigar-shaped crafts approaching.

Second Sighting and Escalation The appearance of a second object near the first heightened tension. Ray estimated each craft to be nearly one mile long, an astonishing size that defied conventional aircraft standards. The crafts maneuvered aggressively, drawing ever closer until they seemed intent on intersecting Ray’s flight path.

“If there's a collision, my plane won't survive. I have to protect my passengers.”
— Ray Bowyer [19:15]

Faced with imminent danger, Ray opted to descend below the objects’ altitude, successfully avoiding any collision. Upon landing, he promptly filed a detailed report as mandated by UK aviation law.

Government Response

Despite Ray’s impeccable record and the corroborating radar data, the UK Ministry of Defense (MoD) largely dismissed the incident. An initial investigation concluded that the objects were either an unexplained weather phenomenon or military testing, neither of which satisfactorily explained the sightings.

“We didn't detect anything unusual.”
— MoD Representative [25:40]

These vague explanations fueled public skepticism and accusations of a governmental cover-up, especially given the pattern of consistent and multiple sightings that season.

Public Reaction and Subsequent Sightings

Throughout the summer of 2007, Alderney became synonymous with UFO activity. Radar technicians and multiple eyewitnesses, including another pilot named James Davenport, reported seeing similar crafts exhibiting impossible maneuvers—tight turns, sudden stops, and rapid accelerations. These consistent reports across different observers and sources further undermined the MoD’s dismissive stance.

“I've never seen anything like this in all my years of flying.”
— Ray Bowyer [23:52]

In 2020, the mystery deepened when photographers captured inexplicable lights on film, only for crucial evidence to be mysteriously lost. Subsequent videos posted online reignited interest and bolstered the case for these being genuine unidentified aerial phenomena.

Conclusion and Discussion

The Alderney UFO Incident remains one of the most compelling and well-documented cases of UFO sightings in the UK. Despite extensive eyewitness accounts and radar confirmations, a definitive explanation remains elusive. The MoD's reluctance to thoroughly investigate Ray’s report has only intensified beliefs in a possible cover-up, leaving the public divided between skepticism and belief in extraterrestrial involvement.

Pete Moreland concludes the episode by urging listeners to approach such mysteries with an open mind, acknowledging the complexities and uncertainties that surround unexplained phenomena. He invites the audience to share their thoughts and experiences, fostering a community of inquiry and discussion.

“If we ever want to solve the debate, there's one thing everyone needs to do: approach this case with an open mind.”
— Pete Moreland [39:20]

Key Takeaways:

Ray Bowyer’s Encounter: A routine flight turned extraordinary with the sighting of two massive, cigar-shaped crafts exhibiting inexplicable behavior.
Government Dismissal: The UK MoD’s vague explanations and lack of detailed investigation raised suspicions of a cover-up.
Public and Eyewitness Reports: Multiple consistent sightings and radar confirmations across different observers add credibility to the incident.
Ongoing Mystery: Despite extensive reports and evidence, the true nature of the Alderney UFOs remains unresolved, continuing to intrigue UFO enthusiasts and skeptics alike.

Notable Quotes:

“It was like a very flat platform... I just couldn't believe what I was seeing.” — Ray Bowyer [12:30]
“He's pointing at something out the window, and I have no idea what's going on.” — Kate Russell, Passenger [07:45]
“If there's a collision, my plane won't survive. I have to protect my passengers.” — Ray Bowyer [19:15]
“We didn't detect anything unusual.” — MoD Representative [25:40]
“I've never seen anything like this in all my years of flying.” — Ray Bowyer [23:52]
“If we ever want to solve the debate, there's one thing everyone needs to do: approach this case with an open mind.” — Pete Moreland [39:20]

Final Thoughts The Alderney UFO Incident is a fascinating case study in unexplained aerial phenomena, government accountability, and the power of eyewitness testimony. As Pete Moreland navigates through the complexities of this mystery, listeners are left to consider the possibilities that lie beyond our current understanding, encouraging a continual quest for truth and openness in the face of the unknown.

Join the Conversation What are your thoughts on the Alderney UFO Incident? Have you ever had an unexplained experience in the sky? Share your stories and opinions in the comments below as we continue to delve deeper Into The Dark.

Transcript

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Pete Moreland (1:02)

You're listening to an Ono Media podcast. Hey, everyone, and welcome back to the podcast. This is into the Dark. I don't know why I started that, like Murder with my husband. I think my brain was just a little bit of on autopilot. But you guys, I am Pete Moreland and this is into the Dark. My solo true crime plus everything dark and spooky podcast. This is not Murder with My Husband. My other podcast that I do with my husband, that is just true, true crime. This is into the Dark. And welcome back to another episode. As always, do the things you gotta do to help support the podcast, please. By this point, I feel like you probably already know because I say them all the time. So if you can just please interact, comment, like, review, download, whatever. Okay, thank you so much. I was just streaming on Twitch. I put these tooth gems on and it was quite the crash out, if I might say so myself. Me and my viewers on my personal Twitch stream were dying trying to put these on, but I was getting ready because Garrett and I were supposed to be going to the ballet for Valentine's Day, but we are currently getting snowed in. Garrett has been driving home from a friend's house that is less than 20 minutes away for over an hour and a half. He's going like five miles an hour on the road, trying to take roads that aren't closed. We're getting snowed in. So needless to say, we are not going to be going to the Ballet. But all I can think about is that I hope everyone who is in my area is safe. Every single time stuff like this happens, I can't help but wonder if everyone has shelter and food and the means to get through this, because not everyone does, and also just the animals. It breaks my heart, but I really, really hope, you know, that everyone's gonna be okay through this. But it's one of those things that just does not leave you with a good feeling inside. But Garrett's gonna make it home safe, and I'm gonna record this episode, and I guess we'll just kind of hang out after that and do some stuff at home. I put something in the crock pot so we can eat some food. And, yeah, that's basically the day today. Before I jump into the episode, I wanted to say thank you to every single person who reaches out to me about into the Dark and about my 10 seconds on into the Dark and just how you enjoy listening. I've said this before, and I'll say it again. Doing into the Dark. Doing into the Dark. Doing into the Dark was ten times scarier for me than doing murder with my husband, because I don't have my cute, funny husband to crutch on. And it's scary to do something by myself. And I honestly, and I can genuinely say this, could not be happier with where into the Dark is and what it has become. I feel like it has become a safe place for every one of us who listens. I feel like it's become this community. I don't know. For me, into the Dark has just become this corner of podcasting that is my favorite corner to be in. And I want to say thank you. Thank you for listening, thank you for making that possible, and thank you for being here. Keep going, you guys. Keep going. Okay, we have got this. And that being said, let's get right into today's episode. Okay, so imagine this. You've just seen something incredible, and it is not this episode of into the Dark. It is something that defies explanation and changes the way you see the world. If you were in that situation, you would want to tell everyone about what you had experienced, right? But what of this thing you experienced? If you went out and you told people, if you spread the word, no one would believe you. That would be frustrating, to say the least. That's how countless people feel or claim to feel after seeing unidentified flying objects, UFOs. They speak out about what they've seen, and honestly, they are met with disbelief or mockery. And this happens again. And Again, even in cases where the sightings are incredibly well documented and nearly impossible to refute. We have covered quite a few of those on this podcast, but I'm going to give you another example. So, at 2:45pm on April 23, 2007, a plane took off from Southampton Airport in the United Kingdom. The pilot, Ray Bowyer, was making a routine flight to a British isle called Alderney. Now, if you're not familiar with British geography, all you need to know is that Alderney is a tiny island with about 2,000 people living in it total. It's actually in a chain called the Channel Islands, and they are only about 10 miles off the coast of France. And as tiny and remote as Alderney is, it is also a very popular tourist destination, meaning there are a lot of people flying to and from it, especially in the summer. So it may be no surprise that in 2007, Ray had flown this exact route thousands of times before. It was very normal and unremarkable for him. Plus, the trip was meant to be very quick. Ray probably expected to spend less than an hour in the air flying these people to this island on a clear day, which it was clear on the 23rd, he could actually see the island with his bare eyes. As soon as he reached his cruising altitude, the coast was clear and the weather was good. And that fact should show you how quick and simple the whole trip was supposed to be. I mean, you can see where you're going as soon as you get up. Now, even though Rey was flying a passenger plane, it wasn't this massive jet that you might be picturing full of tourists. It was something called a Trilander aircraft, which is a very small model of airplane that actually only has about 15 seats on it. Despite it being small, on this day In April of 2007, it wasn't even full. Okay, so I've seen conflicting information in different sources, but the reports suggest that There were between five and 10 passengers on board for this flight. Flight this day, the plane was so small that all of those passengers could see the pilot in the cockpit. There was no wall or barrier between them. So everyone who was on the flight that day noticed Rey's reaction when he's doing this routine trip. And all of the sudden, he looked out the windows of the plane and saw something that he couldn't explain. See, about 15 minutes into this flight, Ray spotted a light off in the distance. It was a golden yellow color, and it was somewhere up ahead and beneath him, as though he was on track to fly right over it. His plane was about 4,000ft high at that point. And at first, Ray couldn't tell if this thing was on the surface of the water or if it was just flying lower than he was in his plane. So Ray's first thought was that he was seeing a glimmer reflecting off another airplane that had to be in the sky with him. In fact, it looked to be about the same size as a Boeing 747. Except after Ray thought about it for a moment, he realized that guess was impossible. The object was just too low to the ground. It would have been illegal for a plane to cruise at such a low altitude. Not to mention that it would have been incredibly dangerous. Whoever was flying that other airplane would have been risking a deadly crash. And Ray just didn't think it was very likely that any experienced pilot would do something so reckless. So Ray's in the air, okay, he's flying, and he has this first thought, and he's like, no, that. That can't be it. So then he has another thought. His flight path had him pass over an island that had a lot of small independent farms on it. The residents were known for using a lot of greenhouses, as they're known in the uk, glass houses. This island was chilly and cold all year long, so the residents needed these greenhouses to grow flowers and tomatoes and all sorts of different fruit trees. There were hundreds of small farms on this island, including some historic ones that had been abandoned. The greenhouses, both the active ones and historic ruins, covered an estimated 1,000 acres. Meaning if you were above that island and looking down, you could see rolling fields full of polished glass. So Rey thinks, okay, maybe I'm just seeing a reflection off those structures. Except at this point in the flight, that island should have been pretty far away and to the southwest of where the flickering light appeared to be. But he's just. He's trying to figure out what's going on. I mean, this is scary. He's in the air with something that actually could cause damage if he doesn't figure out what's going on in his head. There was no possible way that the glow could have been a reflection from a greenhouse. So that's when Rey squints his eyes and looks closer and realizes that this wasn't an ordinary object. In fact, as he got closer, he was able to calculate the light's position. And he realized, okay, it definitely wasn't on the ground. It was in the air with him. And he still had no idea what it was, which is scary. But by now, he could tell this object was long and flat. So Ray's next move was to call ground control and ask if they knew what the flying object in the air was. He began the conversation by asking, do you have any traffic at my 12 o'clock level? That was a technical way of asking if any other planes were flying directly in front of him. And the air traffic controller replied to say, there shouldn't be anything out there. There was no record of any other flights that had been scheduled in the area. So Ray pushes back saying, I've got a very bright object. Well, I can't say how far, but it's extremely bright yellow orange object straight ahead. It's. It's almost like a very flat platform. Well, as soon as Rey described the thing he'd seen, the workers on the ground double checked their records and their equipment, and that's when something showed up on their radar screens. This is a real story, you guys. It is now. Not just Rey seeing something in the air. The equipment on the ground is also detecting something. There was something in the sky with Rey which hadn't filed a flight plan or contacted anyone on the ground. But they admitted they had no idea what it was or where it had come from. They also said something odd. The people on the ground said the object they were picking up looked like it was 40 miles away from Rey and to his left, not straight ahead like he was seeing. So Ray argued with ground control. He's like, no, I can see this thing. It's only about five miles away. It's not 40 miles away and it's right in front of me. It's hovering right over the northwestern coast of Alderney, which again, was perfectly visible on this sunny, cloudless day. And remember, Rey has done this flight hundreds of times, even thousands. So when ground control admitted that they couldn't help him identify the thing in the air with him, Ray grabbed a pair of binoculars and used them to stare at the craft through his windshield. It was a low tech way of investigating the situation, but I guess, what else are you supposed to do? Well, remember what I said before about how there was no wall between the cockpit and the seating area, so the passengers in the front row could tell that something was going on. They could tell that Rey was confused and something was not right. I mean, if you were on a plane and saw that the pilot was acting a little weird, maybe confused, you would probably worry, too. So the passengers start speaking up. They're like, hey, what's going on? Some passengers also looked out their window. And according to reports they too saw the gleaming light. So their comments became even more urgent. I mean, if you are flying in the air and there's something in the air with you that's not supposed to be, how do you know it's not an enemy trying to attack you? It's not gonna shoot a missile at you or crash into you? That is really scary. So they begin asking Rey, the pilot, if he knew it was out there. They were probably wanting reassurance. But as we know, Rey couldn't answer their questions. He didn't understand what he was seeing either. Meanwhile, in the fourth row, a 74 year old passenger named John Russell saw the craft as well. But he couldn't make any more sense of it than Ray had been able to. He just saw a glowing orange oval shaped thing. According to him, it was round and flat like a DVD disc. Now, at this time, John is traveling with his wife Kate, and she isn't looking out the window at all. So she doesn't know what all the commotion is about. But she did notice when the pilot turned around and struck up a conversation with the passengers in the front row. 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She had no idea what to make of it, but whispers and gossip were quickly rushing through the plane. More and more passengers turned to look and grew increasingly nervous about whatever they collectively as a whole were seeing. Well, this goes on for about 15 more minutes. This was a lengthy sighting, and the more time ticked by, the clearer it became that this was not a trick of the light or any other kind of optical illusion. The thing was still ahead of the airplane, meaning the longer they flew, the closer they were getting to it. Now, as they drew nearer, Ray was able to get a much better look at it. Eventually he determined that this object was shaped like a cigar, long and flat. Interestingly, this contradicted what John later said about it being disc shaped, but they both agreed it had a yellow or orange light coming from the center of the craft, while some kind of gray coating ran around the outside. Now that Rey was able to get a better look, he was actually able to estimate its position with much more accuracy. He calculated that the craft was flying at an altitude of about 2,000ft. And he was coming to realize that he had underestimated its size at first. Remember, earlier he thought the ship was the size of a 747. But now he could tell that it was bigger. Much bigger. From what he could determine, he believed the vessel had to be nearly one mile long. According to him, it is enormous. And then, just as the reality of what they were seeing set in, another object appeared. Suddenly there was a second massive glowing ship in the sky. Ray thought it looked very similar to the first one, but it was further away. It also might have been a little bit smaller, but it was hard for him to say given the distance. Either way, he realized that this was the object that the ground control had detected earlier when they told him that they thought the craft was 40 miles away and to his left. That was because they had picked up a second flying object. So right away he called ground control and told them, there is a second one. It just appeared behind the first one, where I am now. At first, both of these objects were roughly in front of Rey and below him. If he'd stayed on course, eventually he would have passed right over top of them. Except as he flew, they adjusted their position too. The UFOs drew closer and closer together until one was flying right above the other. And by that point, they were right in Rey's way. Almost like they were playing chicken with him or blocking him. Now, Rey had no idea what these ships were intending to do, or if their movements had anything to do with him. What he did know was that if there was some kind of mid air collision, his tiny plane would not survive. The mile long mystery ships were too big and moving too fast for him to be willing to take this risk. So it may go without saying that at this point, Ray was worried about his passengers safety. Now the good news was he'd almost made it to Alderney. So rather than try to go around the UFOs or attempt to get over them, he actually angled his nose downward and began to descend. He passed through a cloud, and by the time he got out on the other side, according to him and the passengers, the strange objects were gone. It was like they'd never even been there to begin with. And from that point, Rey was able to make a smooth, uneventful landing. As soon as he got on the ground, he knew what he had to do. There was actually a law in the UK that said if any pilot ever saw a plane flying in airspace where it wasn't supposed to be, they had to file a report on it. The law also said the report had to be written and submitted immediately, without delay. So right away, on that same day, he got his hands on the appropriate forms and wrote a highly detailed account of everything he'd been through in the air. And to this day, the so called Alderney UFO incident is considered one of the best documented sightings, thanks to Rey's quick action. Okay, so the plane lands, everyone gets off, they're all a little confused of what they just saw. Rey makes the report. And when he wrote his report, Ray tried to stick to the facts as much as possible. He knew that what he'd seen was incredible, and it was tempting to jump to conclusions like, okay, I saw a ufo, this definitely wasn't from here. But he didn't want to do that. He wanted to let the evidence speak for itself. In one interview afterward, he even went so far as to say, I'm certainly not saying that it was something of another world. All I'm saying is that I have never seen anything like this before in all of my years of flying. Even if you didn't want to take his word for it, you could tell that was true just from his body language during the interview. I mean, he's visibly shaken. He also told the reporter, in my.