Welcome to bite-sized UFOs, a show where we break down lesser-known

UFO cases in 20 minutes or less. And now here's your host, Graham Rendall. Welcome to this first episode of bite-sized UFOs and the author of several

UFOs including Dawn and the Flying Sources which covers the year the following case occurred in.

Let's go back over 75 years to 30 July 1949 and learn about what happened late that evening around the city of Portland, Oregon.

The sighting involved the flight deck crew of a Northwest Airlines Martin 202 airliner,

a local civilian flight instructor, several deputies from across the

Portland area, residents from local communities and staff at Portland Airport Tower. Believing the lights were from an aircraft that was in distress,

Staff at Portland Tower began to stack inbound traffic.

Four incoming airliners were affected and each of their flight deck crews witnessed the lights.

From records created by Project Groge, the second official US Air Force

UFO investigation program, we can see what information was passed on

by local authorities and agencies.

At around 2,100 hours on 30 July 1949,

Portland Tower reported to McCord Flight Service Center

that something carrying two red lights

and one white light was hovering just south of the Columbia River where power lines

crossed the river at Bonneville. It seemed to be dropping what looked like flares and

then moved closer to Portly.

Bight-sized UFOs is where the facts tell the story.

The lights were observed hovering for around 30 minutes before disappearing to the east. Captain Paul Throche, piloting in Northwest Airlines Martin 202, was flying at 6,000 feet just west of Stevenson, Washington

State, so about 25 miles east of Portland Airport. This was close to Bonneville. At this point the lights were behind him and to the left. They stayed in opposition until he reached Troutdale on the eastern outskirts of Portland.

Captain Thrush then heard Portland Tower issuing instructions to stack inbounds,

...