1977: Saucer with multi-colored lights, lands in yard

THINK ABOUTIT UFO SIGHTINGS REPORT

In July 1977, a remarkable Close Encounter of the Second Kind (CE-II) occurred in the rural town of Eliot, Maine. Multiple witnesses, including a communications professional, observed a disk-shaped craft approximately 30 feet in diameter land in a residential backyard. The encounter involved telepathic communication, physical entry into the vehicle, and a sophisticated visual transformation maneuver where the craft mimicked a conventional military aircraft upon departure.

Date: July 1977

Sighting Time: 12:00am

Day/Night: Night

Location: Eliot, Maine

Urban or Rural: Rural

Hynek Classification: CE-II (Close Encounter of the Second Kind) due to the craft landing and the physical effects on the witness.

Duration: 20 minutes or more

No. of Object(s): Single

Size of Object(s): 30 feet across

Distance to Object(s):

Shape of Object(s): disk, no legs

Color of Object(s): dark gray with lights around the rim

Number of Witnesses: 2 or three (William Cole, his partner, and a roommate)

Source: UFOEvidence.org

Summary: This was a saucer type “ship” with multi colored lights on the edge that landed in the back yard after appearing behind some trees 20 yards behind the house. I woke up in my girlfriend in my bedroom on the second floor, looked out the window and saw the lights.

Full Report

At first I didn’t wake her up but I could see the lights behind the trees which then rose above the trees and hovered in the air for a moment. I could “hear” a message in my thoughts that my desire for proof of extraterrestrials had arrived and that I was not to tell anyone. It was definitely telepathic communication and I asked silently if I could tell my woman and the reply was something like “If you want to.” So I woke her up and asked her to look out the window and tell me what she could see. She described exactly what I saw and then I made sure I wasn’t dreaming by several different methods(shaking my head, pinching myself, asking her if we were dreaming,etc.). I then asked her if she could “hear” the message coming mentally from the ship which by this time was landing very close to the house.

She said, “It’s telling us not to tell anyone and that we can come onto the ship.” That’s what I was perceiving also, so I jumped out of bed and started putting my clothes on as she put her robe on. I was out in the upstairs hall and headed down the stairs to the back door of the house when I heard her say she HAD to tell our roommate who was sleeping in her room. I said don’t do it as I shot down to the first floor and out to the back yard. I saw the ship sitting there and there was an open door with a ramp coming out of it. Meanwhile my girl friend and roommate were headed downstairs but I was intent on getting onto the vehicle and not violating the beings who had sent the thoughts by telling more people. There was a yellowish light coming from the interior and I could see a tiled wall and what appeared to be a tube filled with liquid at the center of the room. The next thing I remembered was standing back in the house near the back door. I rushed back outside and the UFO was lifting off into the air above the yard. The women were entering the room from the upstairs by this time and they joined me outside. As I looked up following its movement high into the air(about 150 ft.) the object transformed itself into what appeared to be a U.S. Army Cargo plane, complete with a rumbling engine sound and proceeded away above the trees. Our roommate said something to the effect that it was just a plane, and I could feel waves of mental energy attempting to block and confuse my mind into a doubtful state. As we stood there in the yard I resolved not to let my memory be blanked out. We all ended up going back to bed and the next day my girlfriend said the whole thing was probably in our minds somehow, but I know it was physical/material/real time experience because I ran onto that ship with my jeans and a t-shirt on and had only underpants on when I found myself back in the house minutes or hours later. What happened inside the ship I cannot recall but remember running up that ramp.

Personal Background

advertising marketing executive, B.A in communications/philosophy, 54 years old, enjoy reading wide variety of literature, interested science and space travel from a very young age.

Reported Sighting? No
Name: william cole
Location: Barrington, New Hampshire, USA
Age: 54

Researchers Notes

• Telepathic Interface: The reported mental communication (“proof of extraterrestrials has arrived”) suggests a non-human intelligence capable of monitoring human intent and responding in real-time.

• Interior Morphology: The description of a “tube filled with liquid” and “tiled walls” is a recurring motif in CE-II reports from the late 1970s, often associated with biological or energy-processing systems.

• Missing Time & Sensory Deception: The witness finding himself back in the house wearing only underpants, despite remembering putting on jeans to board the ship, strongly indicates an abduction or onboard examination timeline that was later suppressed.

• Mimicry Technology: The transformation into a cargo plane is a rare but documented feature of UAP behavior, suggesting that “lights” and “shapes” may often be projected to provide a plausible conventional explanation for onlookers.

The 1977 Eliot sighting is a standout case in New England ufology due to the level of witness interaction and the reported “cloaking” technology. The primary witness and his partner were awakened at midnight by a saucer-type ship with multi-colored lights hovering behind trees just 20 yards from their home. Both witnesses reported receiving synchronous telepathic messages inviting them to board the craft and instructing them to keep the event confidential. This mental interface was so compelling that the witness found himself halfway through the boarding process—observing a tiled interior and a central tube filled with liquid—before experiencing a sudden memory gap or “missing time” event.

A critical technical detail of this encounter is the craft’s departure sequence. As the object ascended to approximately 150 feet, it reportedly transformed its physical appearance and acoustic signature to resemble a U.S. Army Cargo plane. This “mimicry” maneuver, accompanied by the sudden onset of a rumbling engine sound, appeared to be a psychological or technological countermeasure designed to confuse witnesses and any potential radar tracking. The witness noted a distinct “mental energy” wave attempting to induce a state of doubt, a phenomenon often described as the Oz Effect in high-strangeness UFO reports.