Case Credibility Rating System
★★★★★ Very Low
★★★★★ Low
★★★★★ Moderate
★★★★★ High
★★★★★ Exceptional
Primarily anecdotal, anonymous or unverifiable witnesses, story surfaced long afterward, little/no contemporary documentation, serious inconsistencies, or evidence of fabrication.
Identifiable witness or source, but evidence is weak. Limited corroboration, secondhand reporting, questionable documentation, or plausible conventional explanations significantly weaken the case.
Credible identifiable witnesses and reasonable documentation. Some independent corroboration may exist, but important uncertainties remain or conventional explanations cannot be confidently excluded.
Multiple credible or independent witnesses, strong contemporary documentation, and/or supporting photographic, radar, physical, military, police, or scientific evidence. Conventional explanations have been investigated but remain inadequate or disputed.
Exceptionally well-documented case involving multiple independent sources and several mutually supporting forms of evidence. Records have strong provenance, major details are independently corroborated, and extensive investigation has failed to produce a convincing conventional explanation.
Close Encounters of the 2nd Kind
A Close Encounter of the Second Kind (CE2) is a UFO event where an Unidentified Flying Object (UFO/UAP) leaves a physical trace or causes measurable physical effects on the environment, technology, or witnesses. Unlike the first kind (visual only), these encounters provide, or are accompanied by, physical evidence.
Key Physical Effects and Evidence (CE2):
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Physical Traces: Ground impressions, burn marks, scorched soil, broken branches, or indented vegetation.
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Environmental/Technological Effects: Electronic interference (e.g., car engines stalling, radio failures), or disturbed animals.
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Physiological Effects: Burns, heat, discomfort, or temporary paralysis on witnesses.
This classification was created by astronomer Dr. J. Allen Hynek, a technical advisor on UFO studies, to categorize experiences by increasing closeness.
Itaipu Fort Attack - November 4, 1957 - Praia Grande, Brazil
Stefan Michalak - May 20, 1967 - Whiteshell Provincial Park, Mantoba
Over 400 People - November 11, 1977 - Colares, Brazil
Robert Taylor - November 9, 1979, Dechmont Woods, Scotland
Betty Cash, Vickie Landrum, Vickie's, and Colby Landrum - December 29, 1980 - Houston, Texas