Claimed Site L-9 Minuteman field near Ellsworth AFB, South Dakota, United States
The Ellsworth AFB Site L-9 Document Hoax
A typed report circulated as an Air Force security document describing a landed UFO and humanoids at Minuteman missile site L-9 near Ellsworth AFB on 16 November 1977. Subsequent investigation found the document itself was fabricated; formatting, terminology and named-unit details did not withstand
Why This Case Matters
A useful document-forensics case showing how official-looking paperwork can manufacture an entire military UFO incident.
Chronology
- 16 Nov 1977 claimed incident date
- typed report later enters UFO circulation
- researchers seek FOIA/official confirmation
- document-format and unit/detail inconsistencies emerge
- NICAP and others classify the case as a hoax
The Witnesses
No authenticated military witness corpus
names appearing in the document are part of the disputed/fabricated record
Evidence
The following evidence types are documented for this case:
Evidencefabricated typed document
Evidenceno official corroborating security log, missile record, witness file or physical evidence
Conventional explanations: Fabrication/hoax is the established explanation.
What Remains Unresolved
- Original hoax author and motive
- first appearance/circulation history.
Key Takeaways
- This should be marked as a hoax document, not a disputed missile-base encounter.
Sources
Primary and secondary sources for this case file: