U.S. Air Force security personnel from RAF Woodbridge investigated unusual lights in Rendlesham Forest and reported a close encounter with an unidentified object during the first night of the Rendlesham Forest incident.
During the early morning hours of December 27, 1980, security personnel from RAF Woodbridge, a U.S. Air Force base in Suffolk, England, entered nearby Rendlesham Forest after reports of unusual lights. The patrol included security personnel such as Sergeant Jim Penniston and Airman John Burroughs.
Witnesses reported encountering an unusual object near the forest floor among the trees. Penniston later stated that he approached the object and examined it before it departed. Following the encounter, personnel reported physical traces at the site, including impressions in the ground and other observations that later became part of the broader Rendlesham Forest investigation.
This encounter represents the initial forest investigation during the series of events that became known collectively as the Rendlesham Forest Incident. Subsequent events involving additional personnel, including Deputy Base Commander Lieutenant Colonel Charles Halt, occurred over the following nights.
| Date: | 1980-12-26 |
| Location: | Rendlesham Forest near RAF Woodbridge and RAF Bentwaters, Suffolk |
| Country: | United Kingdom |
| Category: | Military |
| Credibility: | High / Multiple Military Witnesses |