Document · 1993
MoD file DEFE 24/2086: UFO sightings of 30–31 March 1993 (Cosford incident)
Also known as DEFE 24/2086, Cosford file, Cosford incident file
The Ministry of Defence's file on the wave of sightings across south-west England, Wales and the Midlands on the night of 30–31 March 1993, opened at The National Archives in August 2009. It holds police and RAF Police reports, among them the RAF Police patrol at RAF Cosford, a Meteorological Office observer's report from RAF Shawbury, the UFO desk's radar checks, its minutes to the Assistant Chief of the Air Staff, the discovery that a Russian rocket had re-entered that night, and correspondence with civilian investigators.
Source: The National Archives, DEFE 24/2086 (our copy is The Black Vault's mirror)
Facts and claims
- documented In a minute of 22 April 1993 to the Assistant Chief of the Air Staff, the head of Sec(AS) reported that at least seventy people had witnessed something, many of them police officers and military personnel, that “none of the usual explanations put forward to explain UFO sightings seem applicable”, and that “there would seem to be some evidence on this occasion that an unidentified object (or objects) of unknown origin was operating over the UK.” Source: defe-24-2086.pdf
- documented An earlier draft of the minute, dated 21 April, put it more strongly: “there would seem to be considerable evidence that an unidentified object of unknown origin has been operating over the UK.” Source: defe-24-2086.pdf
- documented The Assistant Chief of the Air Staff replied on 27 April that “in spite of the quality of the many witnesses”, he could add nothing, and that he had answered “no” to an inquiry from Washington whether the UK had any “black” programme. Source: defe-24-2086.pdf
Connected files
Organizations
- Ministry of Defence (UK) (prepared by) — File of the MoD's UFO desk, Secretariat (Air Staff) 2a
- The National Archives (UK) (released in) — Opened on 17 August 2009; some papers were released under the Code of Practice in December 2002
Incidents
Documents
Videos
- Ross Coulthart investigates the UK's UFO files: Nick Pope on the Cosford incident (7NEWS Australia) (discussed in)
Mentioned in this file
- National Archives and Records Administration (Organization)
More documents
- The National Archives: guides to the Ministry of Defence UFO files (2008–2013)
- MoD file DEFE 24/1972: alleged UFO involvement in the crash of Lightning F6 XS894 (1970)
- Ministry of Defence UFO files: release of 21 June 2013 (25 files)
- Ministry of Defence UFO files: release of 12 July 2012 (25 files)
- Ministry of Defence UFO files: release of 11 August 2011 (34 files)
- Ministry of Defence UFO files: release of 3 March 2011 (35 files)