Case file · Close encounter

Talavera la Real air base humanoid

Spanish Air Force guards fired 40–50 rounds at a 3-metre glowing green figure on their base, which simply vanished.

1976 CE · 38.88, -6.77 · status: account

The account

At 1:45 a.m. on 12 November 1976, after a loud whistle and a bright light, a guard dog repeatedly returned confused and Private José María Trejo saw the figure made of points of light and fainted; his colleagues opened fire. A search the next morning found no casings or bullet holes, though the Air Force accepted the guards had fired.

The sceptical view

Spanish Army veteran Vicente Juan argues fear and confusion produced a shared hallucination.

The researched reading

Guards fired at a glowing figure that left no trace. Fear and shared misperception explain it best.

ExplanationWeightWhy
Perception, memory or mind46%Night guards after a loud whistle, a fainting colleague and a confused dog can share a fearful misperception; Spanish Army veteran Vicente Juan argues for a shared hallucination.
Something known, misidentified14%Lights on the airfield or an animal could underlie the "figure".
A hoax or fabrication14%No casings or bullet holes were found, and the story grew in later retellings.
Genuinely anomalous14%Several guards fired, and the Air Force accepted shots were fired.
A known natural phenomenon6%Fog and light could create apparent figures.
A poorly understood natural phenomenon4%A rare luminous phenomenon could explain the glow.
Secret human technology2%No programme fits.

Official position: The Spanish Air Force confirmed shots were fired but reached no conclusion.

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Sources

  1. Wikipedia: UFO sightings in Spain
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