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How Did the April 1987 Farm Encounter Illuminate Corydon UFO Activity?

A detailed report described two boys observing blue, white, and orange lights over a tractor and silo, prompting MUFON interviews and local press coverage.

On this page

  • Event narrative and witness descriptions
  • Investigator interviews and field notes
  • Analysis of discrepancies and regional pattern
Preview for How Did the April 1987 Farm Encounter Illuminate Corydon UFO Activity?

Introduction

In late April 1987, as a series of unusual aerial sightings was unfolding around Corydon, Indiana, one incident stood out for its close‑range nature and vivid witness descriptions: a teenager operating farm equipment saw unusual coloured lights hover directly above his tractor before retreating, and later reported seeing a larger craft overhead. Within the broader pattern of Corydon area sightings — mostly nocturnal lights reported to civilian investigators — this farm encounter is distinctive because it places the lights at ground‑level for a brief period and links them to a named local witness’s direct experience in a familiar rural setting. [NICAP]nicap.orgNICAPThe 1987 UFO ChronologyJuly 3, 2009…Published: July 3, 2009

April Farm Encounter illustration 1

What Witnesses Reported on the Farm

The primary account connected to this April event comes from field investigation records described in chronological UFO case compilations: a 14‑year‑old boy, Paul Hauswald, was working with a tractor on a corn and soybean field east of Corydon along State Route 62 in late April 1987. He later told investigators that as he drove the tractor, he suddenly noticed he could see the spreader and ground in spite of low ambient light because of lights hovering above his tractor. According to the report, these lights were blue, white and orange, and seemed to follow him up and down the rows as he completed his task. [NICAP]nicap.org3, 1987 From: Francis Ridge Subject: Objects Over Corydon, IN, March 13, 1987…Published: March 13, 1987

The witness said he was frightened and focused on finishing his work rather than stopping to observe. After completing the field task — a trip back to the barn taking under five minutes — he saw something else while refilling the spreader: a saucer‑shaped object with coloured lights passing above a nearby silo. This object was described as having multiple sides and white underside illumination, and estimated to be larger than a house, hovering at about 1,000 feet altitude before moving out of sight. [NICAP]nicap.orgUF O ReportUFO ReportAugust 23, 1987 — IMCAT Case Directory Category 08, Photographic / Video Images Preliminary Rating: 5 Aircraft Appeared In A "N…Published: August 23, 1987

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Context Within Local Sightings

This farm sighting occurred in the midst of a series of light‑based reports in the Corydon area in spring 1987, which began with repeated nocturnal orange and white lights seen by a local woman and a county deputy in March of that year and was documented by civilian UFO networks such as MUFON. [NICAP]nicap.orgNICAPThe 1987 UFO ChronologyJuly 3, 2009…Published: July 3, 2009

Unlike most of those earlier reports, which involved lights seen at some distance or against treelines, this encounter is unusual because the lights were close enough to interact — visually — with the farm equipment operator and because the witness gave a description extending beyond simple lights to a specific craft shape in a separate observation later the same evening. [studylib.net]studylib.netRegional Encounters: UFO Sightings in the Midwest 1960-1990…

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Investigator Notes and Reported Sources

The details of the encounter are drawn from compiled UFO chronologies and field investigator summaries linked to the Corydon wave in 1987. These often combine contemporaneous witness accounts with later archival work by organisations that collate reports, such as the National UFO Reporting Center and researchers associated with the National Investigations Committee on Aerial Phenomena (NICAP). [NICAP]nicap.org3, 1987 From: Francis Ridge Subject: Objects Over Corydon, IN, March 13, 1987…Published: March 13, 1987

While no official government investigation report on this specific farm event appears in public archives, the inclusion of the incident in period UFO chronologies and its naming of a local witness suggests it was captured in investigator notes circulated among civilian UFO research circles at the time. [NICAP]nicap.orgUF O ReportUFO ReportAugust 23, 1987 — IMCAT Case Directory Category 08, Photographic / Video Images Preliminary Rating: 5 Aircraft Appeared In A "N…Published: August 23, 1987

April Farm Encounter illustration 2

Analysis: Closeness, Light Colours and Patterns

The farm encounter’s close range distinguishes it from many sightings that depend on distant horizon lights over treelines. The combination of multiple coloured lights and the claim of an extended craft overhead later adds unusual complexity compared to simpler orb or blinking‑light reports. [studylib.net]studylib.netRegional Encounters: UFO Sightings in the Midwest 1960-1990…

However, as with most UFO cases in rural settings, assessing the event’s nature faces inherent challenges:

  • Single primary witness: The report centres on one adolescent’s account; no independent observers are documented in the accessible records.
  • Lack of physical evidence: No photographic, radar, or physical trace data tied to this encounter appear in the available compilations.
  • Potential conventional explanations: Lights seen above farmland at night might be conflated with agricultural lighting, vehicle headlights, aircraft, or atmospheric phenomena, especially when observed peripherally during a task. [NICAP]nicap.orgUF O ReportUFO ReportAugust 23, 1987 — IMCAT Case Directory Category 08, Photographic / Video Images Preliminary Rating: 5 Aircraft Appeared In A "N…Published: August 23, 1987

These limitations mean the incident remains unverified and unresolved, though its inclusion in the Corydon sequence contributes to a picture of heightened local sightings that year.

April Farm Encounter illustration 3

How This Case Fits in 1987 Corydon UFO Activity

Within the broader Corydon 1987 pattern, which includes repeated lights investigations by civilian field agents and local press attention, the April farm encounter highlights a moment where the phenomenon, as reported, seemed to come closer to a witness in an everyday setting. It also illustrates how reports from that period varied from distant lights to claims of structured craft forms. [NICAP]nicap.orgUF O ReportUFO ReportAugust 23, 1987 — IMCAT Case Directory Category 08, Photographic / Video Images Preliminary Rating: 5 Aircraft Appeared In A "N…Published: August 23, 1987

For anyone exploring Indiana’s UFO history, this episode exemplifies how clustered reports and individual close‑range sightings fed public interest and civilian investigative activity in rural communities in the late 1980s, while also showing the limitations of anecdotal evidence in reaching firm conclusions. [NICAP]nicap.orgUF O ReportUFO ReportAugust 23, 1987 — IMCAT Case Directory Category 08, Photographic / Video Images Preliminary Rating: 5 Aircraft Appeared In A "N…Published: August 23, 1987

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Endnotes

  1. Source: nicap.org
    Link: https://www.nicap.org/chronos/1987fullrep.htm
    Source snippet

    NICAPThe 1987 UFO ChronologyJuly 3, 2009...

    Published: July 3, 2009

  2. Source: studylib.net
    Link: https://studylib.net/doc/8010700/regionalencounters.doc
    Source snippet

    Regional Encounters: UFO Sightings in the Midwest 1960-1990...

  3. Source: nicap.org
    Link: https://www.nicap.org/corydon.htm
    Source snippet

    3, 1987 From: Francis Ridge <nicap@insightbb.com> Subject: Objects Over Corydon, IN, March 13, 1987...

    Published: March 13, 1987

  4. Source: nicap.org
    Title: UF O Report
    Link: https://www.nicap.org/870823corydon_dir.htm
    Source snippet

    UFO ReportAugust 23, 1987 — IMCAT Case Directory Category 08, Photographic / Video Images Preliminary Rating: 5 Aircraft Appeared In A "N...

    Published: August 23, 1987

  5. Source: nuforc.org
    Link: https://nuforc.org/sighting/?id=97161
    Source snippet

    NUFORC UFO Sighting 97161May 15, 2013 — NUFORC UFO SIGHTING 97161 Occurred: 2013-04-06 19:45 Local Reported: 2013-04-14 04:39 Pacific Dur...

    Published: April 6, 2013

  6. Source: nuforc.org
    Link: https://nuforc.org/sighting/?id=37987
    Source snippet

    NUFORC UFO Sighting 37987July 8, 2004 — NUFORC UFO SIGHTING 37987 Occurred: 1987-10-26 00:00 Local - Approximate Reported: 2004-07-08 07...

    Published: July 8, 2004

  7. Source: biglicktriangle.com
    Title: I am in no way saying t
    Link: https://biglicktriangle.com/353-2/
    Source snippet

    Evidence | The Big Lick TriangleTHE EVIDENCE: Here fellow researchers, let me walk you through the highlights I found via my internet sea...

Additional References

  1. Source: jamesmdeem.com
    Title: However, CEs have happened often enough to be categorized. UFOlogist
    Link: https://www.jamesmdeem.com/stories.ufo.encounters.html
    Source snippet

    Close Encounters with UFOs by James M DeemA close encounter (CE) with a TRUFO (a True UFO) is a fairly rare occurrence, since most sighti...

  2. Source: ufoinsight.com
    Title: american ufo and alien encounters from the later years of the 1980s
    Link: https://www.ufoinsight.com/ufos/close-encounters/american-ufo-and-alien-encounters-from-the-later-years-of-the-1980s
    Source snippet

    The Seeds Of Wider Interest: American UFO And Alien Encounters From The Later Years Of The 1980s - UFO InsightSeptember 2, 2023 — THE 198...

    Published: September 2, 2023

  3. Source: youtube.com
    Title: Roy’s First UFO Encounter
    Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HYtuw0c3dJ4
    Source snippet

    Farmer Sees 5 Metallic Rotating Objects Leave Circles On His Crops | Close Encounters...

  4. Source: medium.com
    Title: CROYDON INDIANA The incident report
    Link: https://medium.com/%40/ufo-photographed-over-croydon-indiana-d3c9111e0e6c
    Source snippet

    UFO Photographed Over Croydon Indiana | by Johnmooner-chief | MediumDecember 12, 2023 — UFO PHOTOGRAPHED OVER CROYDON INDIANA Johnmooner...

    Published: December 12, 2023

  5. Source: medium.com
    Title: CROYDON INDIANA The incide
    Link: https://medium.com/%40johnmooner-chief/ufo-photographed-over-croydon-indiana-d3c9111e0e6c
    Source snippet

    UFO Photographed Over Croydon Indiana | by Johnmooner-chief | MediumDecember 12, 2023 — UFO PHOTOGRAPHED OVER CROYDON INDIANA Johnmooner...

    Published: December 12, 2023

  6. Source: washingtonpost.com
    Link: https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/politics/1987/01/02/ufo-sighting-confirmed-by-faa-air-force-radar/c186c4b7-54ed-459e-b94d-eeeff7b3322e/
    Source snippet

    UFO SIGHTING CONFIRMED BY FAA, [AIR FORCE](&#123;&#123; 'air-force-era/' | relative_url &#125;&#125;) RADAR - The Washington PostJanuary 1, 1987 — UFO SIGHTING CONFIRMED BY FAA, AIR FORCE RADAR JAPA...

    Published: January 1, 1987

  7. Source: youtube.com
    Title: The BEST UFO Chase Scene EVER! | Close Encounters Of The Third Kind
    Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nTjblVk6Ov4
    Source snippet

    Roy's First UFO Encounter - Close Encounters of the Third Kind (1/8) Movie CLIP (1977) HD...

  8. Source: ufodigest.com
    Title: Four Dark Triangles Fly Low Over Indiana
    Link: https://www.ufodigest.com/article/four-dark-triangles-fly-low-over-indiana/
    Source snippet

    UFO DigestApril 11, 2013 — FOUR DARK TRIANGLES FLY LOW OVER INDIANA by Roger Marsh...

    Published: April 11, 2013

  9. Source: thinkaboutitdocs.com
    Title: 1987 september ufo alien sightings
    Link: https://www.thinkaboutitdocs.com/1987-september-ufo-alien-sightings/
    Source snippet

    1987: September UFO & Alien SightingsJuly 4, 2016 — 1987: SEPTEMBER UFO & ALIEN SIGHTINGS...

    Published: July 4, 2016

  10. Source: ufofinder.com
    Link: https://ufofinder.com/years/1987/
    Source snippet

    UFO Sightings in 1987 | UFO Finder | UFO FinderUFO SIGHTINGS IN 1987 301 documented sightings throughout the year 301 Total Sightings Cal...

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Corydon Cases Investigating Indiana UFOs Through Private Investigators and Local Witnesses

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