TACAN site near McChord Air Force Base, Washington, United States
The McChord AFB Encounter Claim (1972)
A dramatic story claims that personnel at a TACAN site near McChord AFB encountered a landed saucer and humanoid beings on 14 October 1972, with shots fired and several servicemen allegedly rendered unconscious. The story became public around 2001 through former AFOSI-associated figure Robert Collin
Why This Case Matters
A good case for strict source discipline: its military setting sounds authoritative, but the actual public evidential chain begins decades later through a single promoter.
Chronology
- 14 Oct 1972 alleged TACAN-site encounter
- no public contemporary record located
- ~2001 Robert Collins publishes/relays story and claims AFOSI-file origin
- online UFO sites repeat narrative as a military incident
- no authenticated file released
The Witnesses
Evidence
The following evidence types are documented for this case:
Conventional explanations: Fabrication, embellishment, fictionalised intelligence lore or conflation with ordinary base-security incidents are strong possibilities given the missing primary record.
What Remains Unresolved
- Authenticity/existence of claimed AFOSI report
- identities/service records of alleged witnesses
- TACAN logs
- base security records
- why no documentary trail surfaced.
Key Takeaways
- Do not call this a declassified or documented Air Force alien encounter. The public record is a 2001-era claim about a supposed 1972 file.
Sources
Primary and secondary sources for this case file: