Donald Cagle

Capt. Don Cagle (sometimes listed as Donald Cagle) was the Aircraft Commander / pilot of the B-52H Stratofortress involved in the October 24, 1968 Minot Air Force Base UFO incident. He was one of the primary airborne witnesses in the case.

What Cagle reportedly experienced

Cagle was the person responsible for the aircraft's decisions during the encounter. According to the case narratives:

RAPCON advised the B-52 crew of a UFO near the aircraft.
The crew performed a maneuver to investigate.
The object was tracked on airborne radar and reportedly maintained position relative to the aircraft before later closing distance.
During the close encounter, the crew attempted visual observation of the object during a low approach.

Cagle's role is particularly interesting because he was the pilot in command, but unlike some of the other crew members, he was initially reluctant to participate in later public UFO reporting. A later account notes that he was not present at an early briefing because he had a scheduled interview with Delta Air Lines the next day and "wanted nothing to do with a UFO report."