← Back to the archive

UFO-1980-036 · UFOs & UAPs

Rendlesham Forest Incident

This page records what was reported. A report, official record or unresolved status is not proof of an extraordinary explanation.

The case record

What was reported?

US military personnel reported lights and a possible structured object in Rendlesham Forest; Lt Col Charles Halt later investigated and recorded observations.

The dates are bounds supplied by the workbook; they do not establish the exact day of an event.

Reported date
26 Dec 1980 – 28 Dec 1980
Witnesses
USAF personnel · Dozens / several primary
Investigation
USAF / UK MoD awareness

Evidence in the record

Eyewitnessaudiomemoalleged ground traces

Eyewitness; audio; memo; alleged ground traces

Competing explanations

Official and research context

No threat to defence; no formal UFO investigation conclusion

Conventional explanations

Orford Ness lighthouse, stars and misperception proposed

Arguments that remain contested

Witness claims and sequence differ significantly

Locations & timeline

Coordinates are representative. Area and route labels do not imply exact paths or object positions.

  1. Primary reference location

    Rendlesham Forest east of RAF Woodbridge East Gate

    Woodbridge

    Reported event location · Approximate area radius: 3 km

    52.089°, 1.449° · multipoint · High
  2. Linked location

    RAF Woodbridge East Gate

    Rendlesham Forest, Suffolk, UK

    Initial response site · Approximate area radius: 0.5 km

    52.091°, 1.438° · point · High
  3. Linked location

    Rendlesham alleged landing area

    Rendlesham Forest, Suffolk, UK

    Reported encounter / trace site · Approximate area radius: 0.5 km

    52.089°, 1.449° · point · High
  4. Linked location

    Orford Ness Lighthouse

    Orford Ness, Suffolk, UK

    Conventional-explanation reference · Approximate area radius: 0.2 km

    52.084°, 1.573° · point · High

Record notes

Create separate East Gate, first-encounter, Halt-route and Orford Ness lighthouse pins.

Imported starting record; individual claims and source links await editorial verification.

Original dataset status: Unresolved / disputed

The conversation around the evidence

What do you make of the record?

0 case views

Assess the evidence, rather than the people involved. Community votes express reader opinion and do not change the case’s public status.

Discussion & submitted updates (0)

No contributions yet. Start with a question about the evidence.

Moderation & appeals · Corrections and source updates