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whether it was an U.F.O. or a series of unconnected incidents the Authorities & Emergency Services took the whole affair seriously, mounting one of the largest ever search and rescue ops. in response to what was believed to be a suspected aircrash involving a light aircraft and upto 8 passengers, and involving 200 personnel and costing in excess of £50000.For 15 hours South Yorkshire Police co-ordinated a search that covered over 50 square miles on the Howden Moors.
this was the night that The Halle Boppe comet would be clearly visible in the night sky - Monday March 24th 1997.The story starts around 10 00pm when the Ops room at Ecclesfield Police Station Nr. Sheffield takes a call from 2 farmers in Bolsterstones who had seen a plane disappear over Featherbed Moss followed by a flash and plumes of smoke, further calls including one from Gamekeepers on The Strines who had heard a large explosion and seen a large orange glow were recieved by police in South Yorks & Deryshire.
Civilian & Military Authorities replied "it's not ours !" - plus radar had no reported missing aircraft!
On the ground Fire & Rescue tenders from Tankersley, Penistone,Stocksbridge & Hathersage rendevoused at The Strines Inn whilst volunteers from 7 Mountain Rescue teams met police at the Bar Dike Junction where The Dukes Drive leads westwards onto the Howden Moors, by the early hours of the 25th 141 M.R.T. members were out on foot & joined by police and Search and Rescue Dogs Association team members.
Calls were still coming in from the public and Chief Inspector Christine Burbeary overall Commander had scaled up the search ( her oppo in the Derbyshire force refused to order his men to join the search )- calling in additional M.R.T. members.By 0700 am on the 25th a DANGEROUS FLYING ZONE with a 10 mile radius had been established to allow the 2 helicopters to search unhindered especially by media helicopters.
by 11.00pm The West Yorkshire Police helicopter was searching using its NightSun light & thermal imaging equipment & was joined by a Sea King from R.A.F. Leconfield at midnight,- this was controlled by R.A.F. Kinloss in Scotland - the National Control Centre for search operations. Kinloss had checked radar coverage and discovered nothing but later checks with the British Geological Survey found evidence of a SONIC BOOM with initial reports from The Peak District.
- by 14.00 hrs the scale had been scaled down as no wreckage,scouring of moorland or oil slicks on the reservoirs had been found.
T.V. documentaries since have suggested that the event was triggered by a light plane involved in a drugs run or even more bizarre - the appearance of a ghost plane which reputedly haunts the moors since the end of the last war!They even suggested secret government cover ups over U.F.O.s - this caused the circulation of rumours about mysterious burnt patches,"Men in Black " "Flying Triangles" & objects recovered by low loaders & helicopters - the latter being the sighting of "body bags " being recovered from a reservoir by SeaKing helicopter and loaded into a waiting ambulance, this later transpired as equipment being transferred to the Mountain Rescue Teams 4WD vehicle and taken to HQ @ Hepshaw Farm .
THE R.A.F. FINALLY ADMITTED THAT A JET ON NIGHT TIME EXERCISE HAD GONE SUPERSONIC & CAUSED A FLASH & A BANG.
eye witness reports vary from definite sightings of aircraft & helicopters to sightings of "triangular shaped" objects - the latter from U.F.O.hunters in Dronfield who raw a triangle shaped craft with the corners cut off,as wide as the street with 2 pink lights on the front and blue lights all around,making a hum like a power substation or power lines in the wet - this disappeared towards the moors.A pensioner in Stannington saw a long dark cigar shaped object surrounded by an eerie glow flying Westward from Bradfield towards the Strines ,making no noise.The most reliable eyewitness report comes from Gamekeeper John Littlewood out on Midhope Moor in his 4WD when he saw 2 RED LIGHTS approaching in the night sky, this was definitely a plane and passed over him making aloud humming noise & disappeared towards Dunford Bridge - it was very long,low & slow but only had the red lights on its wings.
MORE DETAILS CAN BE FOUND AT UNEXPLAINED MYSTERIES. COM
