Description
Over three consecutive nights in late December 1980, United States Air Force personnel stationed at RAF Bentwaters and RAF Woodbridge in Suffolk, England, reported observing unusual lights and a landed craft of unknown origin in the nearby Rendlesham Forest.
The most widely documented incident occurred in the early hours of 26 December, when two security patrolmen — Staff Sergeant Jim Penniston and Airman First Class John Burroughs — were sent to investigate lights seen descending into the forest. According to their testimony, they encountered a small, triangular metallic craft bearing symbols on its side. Penniston reported touching the craft and later transcribed a sequence of binary digits he claims appeared on its surface.
On the night of 28 December, Deputy Base Commander Lieutenant Colonel Charles Halt led a second investigation into the forest. He carried a portable tape recorder and documented the event in real time; the recording captures him and his team observing pulsing lights, reporting radiation readings above background levels, and witnessing objects maneuvering through the trees. Halt later filed an official memorandum to the UK Ministry of Defence describing the events as unexplained.
The Rendlesham Forest incident remains one of the most thoroughly documented and officially acknowledged UAP cases in history. Physical traces — including indentations in the forest floor and elevated radiation readings — were recorded at the landing site. The case has been the subject of multiple government inquiries, books, and documentaries, and it remains formally unexplained.
Video Documentation
Britain's Roswell — Rendlesham Forest 1980
Documentary covering the incident, the witnesses, and the physical evidence recorded at the landing site.
The Basement Office — Part 1: Charles Halt
Lieutenant Colonel Charles Halt discusses his shock at his UFO sighting in Rendlesham Forest in 1980 and the audio recording he made during the event.
The Basement Office — Part 2: Jim Penniston
Staff Sgt. Jim Penniston was sent to investigate an aircraft crash in the woods. What he discovered was a "craft of unknown origin."
The US Air Force Soldier Who Faced Aliens | Retold
Retold documentary about the Rendlesham UFO incident — the biggest UFO case in the UK — including the audio recordings of the air force personnel discussing the sightings.
IUFOC UFO Researcher of the Year 2015 — John Burroughs
John Burroughs, an Air Force veteran, was awarded full disability for UFO exposure resulting from the Rendlesham Forest incident.
Notes
This case remains under investigation. If you witnessed the Rendlesham Forest events or hold additional documentation, please contact us via the Report a UAP form.
Further reading: UK Ministry of Defence memorandum by Lt. Col. Charles Halt (13 January 1981); Georgina Bruni, You Can't Tell the People (2000); Nick Pope, Open Skies, Closed Minds (1996).