A visual reconstruction of the August 14, 1952, Ely crash involving the alleged recovery of a seamless metallic craft.
THINK ABOUTIT UFO CRASH REPORT
The Ely UFO crash of August 14, 1952, represents a high-profile case of alleged military recovery of an extraterrestrial craft in the mining district of White Pine County, Nevada. Witnesses, including local law enforcement and mining security, reported a brilliant, glowing object that crashed into an embankment at the Robinson copper mine near Ruth. The incident is characterized by an immediate and aggressive military cordoning of the site and the subsequent removal of an intact, oval-shaped craft on a flatbed truck. The case is notable for the alleged recovery of 16 alien bodies, which, if true, would represent the highest biological recovery from any single documented UFO crash.
Date: summer of 1952 (August 14, 1952)
Sighting Time: Between 9:00 p.m. and 10:00 p.m.
Day/Night: Night
Location: Robinson copper mine, near Ruth/Ely, Nevada
Urban or Rural: Rural (Mining district/wooded embankment)
No. of Entity(‘s): 16 alien bodies
Entity Type: Humanoid (EBE – Extraterrestrial Biological Entities)
Entity Description: Humanoid; accounts vary, but related 1950s reports describe entities roughly 3 to 4 feet tall in one-piece suits.
Hynek Classification: CE-III (Close Encounter III) Close observation with animate beings associated with the object.
Duration: Unknown (The crash was instantaneous, but the recovery operation lasted at least several days)
No. of Object(s): 1
Height & Speed: Unknown (Witnesses observed the object arriving before the impact, but specific altitude or velocity data was not recorded)
Size of Object(s): Large enough to require a flatbed truck for removal
Distance to Object(s): Close range (Witnesses arrived at the scene before military cordoning)
Shape of Object(s): Oval or dish-shaped; glowing and seamless with no visible windows.
Color of Object(s): Bright/Purple glow.
Special Features: Emitted a “low hum” and was reported to be made of a material that was “silver and translucent” or “glass-like” in related regional sightings.
Number of Witnesses: Multiple
Source: John Plestina
Full Report
Sometime in the summer of 1952, A Mr. Claude House, the Sheriff and his deputy, along with several other observers, watched as a bright object emitting a low hum lit up the area around the neighborhood. The next day, reports of a UFO crash began to make the rounds around the neighborhood, and a few of the witnesses went to an area around Kennecott, Nevada, to investigate reports of a possible UFO crash that happened the previous day. When they arrived, the area was cordoned off and they were told that a light plane had crashed in the area.
Another local resident, Mary Sorenson, related that a close friend working as a security guard at the time at a local copper mine, stated that he had witnessed a UFO crash in the same vicinity at the time of the UFO sighting by House but was sworn to secrecy by the government. The guard has since died and no other account concerning the incident was ever forthcoming from him.
Other sources list the exact date of the crash as August 14, 1952, as well as the claim that 16 alien bodies were recovered from the crash.
The alleged crash of an alien starship near Ely during the 1950s is remembered in “Weird Las Vegas and Nevada, Your Alternative Travel Guide to Sin City and the Silver State.” The eclectic collection spins strange yarns and tales of Nevada.
The new book by Joe Oesterle and Tim Cridland chronicles weird and not so weird rumors and tales of Las Vegas and most other parts of Nevada in a 247-page hardcover volume. Cridland lives in Las Vegas.
Now about Ely, there is a chapter titled Secret UFO Crash at Ely. The preceding chapter is called Nevada UFO Roundup.
The book tells the 55-year-old tale of a young woman (not identified) from Ely who allegedly witnessed a flying saucer crash in August, 1952. According to the book, several local people arrived at the scene before a secret federal (possibly military) team and claimed that they saw the remains of a dead alien crew. Some say the body count was the highest of any crash of a starship that was not of this world. Of course, the government squashed whatever happened in the interest of national security or to avoid an embarrassment.
Researcher’s Notes
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Witness Corroboration: The primary account involves Sheriff Claude House and his deputy, who reportedly witnessed the object’s arrival and secured the initial scene. Independent testimony from mine security guards and local residents like Mary Sorenson supports the timeline of a rapid military takeover.
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The “16 Bodies” Claim: While local researchers like Jeremy Meador confirm witness consistency regarding the craft, the origin of the “16 bodies” figure is often debated. Some sources suggest this detail may have been conflated with the Aztec, New Mexico hoax of 1948, which also famously cited 16 recovered entities. However, Ely witnesses maintain that the craft’s interior was inaccessible due to its windowless, seamless construction.
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Physical Evidence & Modern Probing: Recent investigations at the suspected crash site near Ruth have utilized Geiger counters, revealing elevated radiation levels in localized patches compared to the surrounding terrain.
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Government Intimidation: Multiple witnesses reported being “sworn to secrecy” or threatened by federal agents following the event, which contributed to the decades-long silence surrounding the case.
Despite the “16 bodies” controversy, the incident remains a significant piece of Nevada folklore due to persistent witness accounts and modern investigative findings. Reports of government intimidation and the rapid removal of a large, seamless craft on a flatbed truck have fueled decades of cover-up theories. Furthermore, recent probing of the suspected crash site near Ruth has revealed elevated radiation levels, providing a layer of physical evidence that continues to draw researchers to this day.
