by Lance Winkler, MUFON

This report was related to me in 1979. There were two witnesses to this event, which occurred in Beavercreek, Ohio east of Dayton, in the early summer of 1973 at a remote location called Bergamo/Mt. Saint John. The location has a number of nature trails for hiking and is a favorite place for teenagers to go late at night to stargaze, party, etc.

These two witnesses were approaching the top of the hill where it drops down again into a ravine and meadow below. The site offers a dramatic view of the countryside to the east, which is why it is popular to visit. The time was between midnight and 1 a.m.

The first thing noticed by the witnesses was a low-pitched hum that was unfamiliar to them. The witness describing this event to me, Mark Laurens, likened it to the sound an overloaded transformer makes but somewhat different and louder. The hum was steady with no oscillation or change in pitch noted.

The witnesses saw a craft appear in view moving from the right to the left heading north. The craft was at eye level to them, moving slowly at 10 to 20 miles per hour. It was unlit but had a three-light configuration that resembled a small aircraft but, according to Laurens, "[it] was not anything resembling a small aircraft." The flight pattern was described as "effortlessly oozing…like a pearl through oil. It wasn't like it was flying." The object stayed on a level course throughout the sighting, which Laurens estimated lasted 2 to 3 minutes.

The size of the object approximated the size of a small house (50 to 70 feet) and was about 100 feet away when at its closest approach. Primary color lights of red, green and blue (three in number) were seen underneath the craft and Laurens speculated that the pattern was "made to resemble conventional craft."

Laurens' immediate reaction was fear, but his friend, excited at what they were witnessing, said it was "the chance of a lifetime" to make contact with what they assumed was something not of this earth. They started to chase after it on foot. They pursued the object until it was lost from sight. The witnesses, shocked by what they had seen, drove home in silence. "We didn't have anything to say to each other," Laurens said. (Laurens gave permission to use his name in this report.)