Report by J S of Cape Town: the 'U S A rocket'

What was reported

Driving back toward Cape Town from Montevista with a new maid in late November or early December 1980, J S noticed a pinprick of light arcing across a clear afternoon sky like a satellite, then dropping straight down with a great flame behind it. Both got out to watch. What came down, far more slowly than a falling object should, was a short, dumpy, cone-nosed rocket, white and factory-new, bearing a small US flag, huge letters U S A and what he recalls as two letters and four numbers, trailing a yellow-orange flame several times its length with surprisingly little noise. It levelled off, flew dead straight toward central Cape Town at about 500 feet, made a sharp V-turn back toward Bellville and finally climbed out of sight. He first took it for a Russian rocket or a secret weapon, and remains troubled that no passing driver looked up and nothing appeared in the papers.

What Hind made of it

Hind presents it as an unusual case without comment; J S himself swings between a Russian rocket, an American secret weapon and something from outer space, and remains puzzled that nobody else looked up and nothing appeared in the papers.

Explanation offered
Sputnik or space debris at first; a Russian or American rocket or secret weapon, possibly carrying a nuclear warhead

In their words

• The thing had no windows, nothing.

• I was convinced it was a Russian rocket, so the lettering surprised me.

• It was an unusual movement; very unusual, a left-angle movement parallel to the ground.

Connected

• Further Report on 'Rocket' over Cape TownCase fileHind follow-up

  Afrinews 2 follow-up to the Nov/Dec 1980 'USA rocket'; JS corrects the drawing (sharp nose, white body) and a 1988 hypnosis attempt fails. One event, second report.

• Continuing investigations: Case No 2, JS of Cape Town (the Goodwood rocket)Case fileHind follow-up

  Afrinews 6 redraw approved by Joe/JS during Hind's annual South African visit. The object has grown from 'short, dumpy' (1980) to half to a full kilometre long. Same event, geocoded 5.2 km apart (Montevista vs Goodwood).

• J.S. of Cape Town: rocket-type object unseen by trafficCase fileHind follow-up

  Afrinews 7 cites JS as the type case of the 'nobody else looked' oddity; adds a 17-year-old companion. Fourth report of one event.

• Continuing investigations: Case No 2, JS of Cape Town (the Goodwood rocket)Case fileSame place

  The same 1980 event, geocoded to Montevista and Goodwood 5.2 km apart; both within 6 km of Wingfield and 3.4 km of the Acacia gas turbines, along the Bellville-Cape Town road corridor the object followed.

• Blue-green oval over Du Toit's KloofCase fileSame behaviour

  Sharp V or right-angle turn: JS 1980, Mrs T 1981.

• Sean Rhategan's earlier red delta-shaped object over Cape TownCase fileSame behaviour

  Witness first reads a structured night object as a Cold War test (US rocket; Soviet test): JS 1980, Rhategan before 1988.

Source

Cynthia Hind, UFO Afrinews No 1 (July 1988), spread 13-16

Nearby

Stories within 60 km

• The Castle's regulars 1729 · 14 km
• The lights above Table Mountain 2015 · 15 km
• Van Hunks and the Devil 1909 · 15 km
• The transformer on Newlands Ravine 1969 · 15 km
• The monoplane that flew all over the Union 1914 · 17 km