Memphis, TN: Deputies spot reacting UFO
On September 23, 1973, Memphis deputies investigated a hovering object over their patrol office, which reacted to their lights by flashing back and then vanishing with a hum and radio blackout. Additional sightings occurred in nearby areas that night.
Background
Incident
At 20:41 on September 23, 1973, a resident reported an unidentified object hovering over the Tennessee Highway Patrol office at 6348 Summer Avenue in Memphis, Tennessee. Deputy sheriffs Philip L. Pilalas and J. O. Davis checked the report and observed the object as well.
Observation and Reaction
The officers described it as a large, fixed-wing aircraft at 500–1,000 feet with steady white and red lights on the wings. They at first took it for a police helicopter and directed their searchlight at it. The object responded by flashing its white lights. When they switched on their car's blue emergency lights, it extinguished all its lights, disappeared with a humming sound, and caused two minutes of interference on one radio frequency.
Further Events
Further objects were reported the same night in East Memphis and Frayser. The event took place during the major UFO wave of 1973.
Sources and Significance
Reported in "Many Report UFO in Shelby County", Memphis Press-Scimitar, September 24, 1973, p. 16. The response to the police lights and the radio interference make it a notable case with official witnesses.