Military confrontations - The strange case of Foxtrot 94 -continued...

When the accident investigators were eventually allowed to examine the aircraft, they were constantly supervised by five civilians, two of whom were Americans. After a few hours, the investigators were told that as nothing useful had been found there job was over.

The following day they were summoned to the main office at Farnborough and told in no uncertain terms that they were not to discus any aspect of the ditching of XS894, even with their own families. The reason given was National Security.

No further information has been forthcoming and the investigation file is still classified. When I contacted the Ministry Of Defence I was told that the incident had been an unfortunate accident and that there was nothing related to UFOs. Involved.

Further enquiries revealed that the aircraft had eventually been taken to Kirkland Air Force Base in America. When questioned about this the MOD spokesman said that this was quite possible and not unusual because the pilot of the aircraft was American. This was in no way inferred that the MOD were admitting that the aircraft had been sent to America.

Pat Otter the press investigator in the case said, " I first came across this story a few years ago when an outline of the story was related to me by an aviation enthusiast and author who lived at market Rasen, who was researching for a book on aviation mysteries at the time.

He suggested I dig out the cuttings on the crash and look further into it. There was more to the story of XS894 than met the eye, he told me.

I had anticipated difficulties in investigating a 16 year-old ditching incident in the North Sea, but not on the scale I was to encounter over the next few weeks.

Normally, helpful press contacts in the MOD responded initially by promising to help, but then became very reticent.

Similar enquiries to the Untied States Embassy and the US Air Force at Alconbury proved to be dead ends. Calls were not returned and contacts unavailable.

At this time I enlisted the aid of and Aviation correspondent for certain newspapers. He had close links with the RAF and USAF. He spent weeks checking out the story and he found it to be more intriguing by the hour. He paid numerous visits to the MOD and spent hours on the telephone to contacts in the United States.. But everywhere he heard the ominous sound of doors being slammed. He finally admitted defeat, but he was absolutely certain that there was an official blanket of secrecy surrounding the crash of that Lightning over the North Sea.

A man who came forward to the Evening Telegraph told us he had been a member of the crash investigation team who had gone to Binbrook to inspect the recovered aircraft. Because of the strange way he and his team of investigators had been treated on arrival at Binbrook, he decided to start an investigation on his own. Now several years later he believes he has peeled back a bit more of the mystery surrounding XS894. We were given a copy of his account of what he believes really happened that night. Some has come from his dogged investigations, some from official documents he has obtained, and some most tellingly from what he maintains is the final transcript of the conversation between Captain Schaffner and the radar controller at Staxton Wold.

Around the time of the incident involving XS894 many reports of UFOs. Were being received by the Police and Coast guards in the Bridlington area. There were also many reports made to the RAF at nearby Boulmer. The time and location fit exactly with the events going on 60 miles south of Staxton Wold.

Comments.

I have in my possession statements from several civilian witnesses who saw two Lightning fighters chasing a UFO over the North Sea during the above period.

There were many other witnesses who came forward reporting UFOs. On several dates around this time.

When I approached the Ministry Of Defence in an attempt to get official documents related to this incident. I was informed that the file was still classified under the Official Secrets Act.

In the past few weeks a television team has also attempted to get documents from the MOD. They were initially told that the file was still classified. When they pressed for more information on the incident they were told that the documents had been shredded and when they pressed the MOD further they were told that a search would be made for the documents, but not to hold their breath.

The question has to be asked. Why would a file relating to a routine aircraft accident still be classified after all these years. It does not make sense. Unless they have something to hide.

If anybody who was involved in this incident has the nerve to give me any information, your name will be kept totally confidential, or will the truth of what really happened to this unfortunate pilot be lost forever.