Case file · Sighting
Fyffe UFO sightings
On 10–12 February 1989 more than 50 people in and around Fyffe, including police chief Junior Garmany and assistant chief Fred Works, reported a large, slow triangular object with lights.
1989 CE · 34.45, -85.91 · status: unexplained
The account
The state legislature later named Fyffe the 'UFO Capital of Alabama' and the town holds a UFO Days festival.
The sceptical view
Military aircraft and a misidentified blimp were suggested; neither was confirmed.
The researched reading
A two-night flap in a small Alabama town, with police among the witnesses. Military aircraft on training routes are the likeliest source.
| Explanation | Weight | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Something known, misidentified | 40% | The National Guard noted that north Alabama is a military low-level training route; descriptions vary from a triangle to a round light with red and green flashing to a "banana", consistent with aircraft and their navigation lights seen at night. |
| Secret human technology | 18% | Military aircraft from Redstone and other bases flew training routes nearby; an unannounced flight or a blimp could explain the slow, lit object. |
| Perception, memory or mind | 14% | Over 50 reports in a small town in two nights is the pattern of a local flap fed by police radio and word of mouth. |
| Genuinely anomalous | 14% | Police officers and dozens of residents saw a large object that was never identified, but descriptions disagree. |
| A known natural phenomenon | 4% | Bright stars or planets could account for some later reports. |
| Undetermined | 4% | The share a generic explanation had beyond what has been shown for this case: it fits many cases like this one, but has not been demonstrated for this one. |
| A poorly understood natural phenomenon | 3% | Nothing points to an unusual natural light. |
| A hoax or fabrication | 3% | The police officers’ reports were sincere; the festival came later. |
Official position: No official investigation; the National Guard pointed to aircraft on training routes.