Trooper Sees UFOs Over Ashland, Kentucky

Ashland, Kentucky

Throughout 1966 and 1967, flying saucers filled the skies over the tri-state area and beyond. In Point Pleasant, WV, residents were reporting UFOs, Men in Black, psychic experiences, and of course, our infamous Mothman. But a little over an hour away in Ashland, Kentucky, there were also strange reports of things in the skies. One example comes from late November of 1967 when a former pilot turned police trooper allegedly spotted several UFOs over the course of several hours.

Despite the potential for backlash, Patrolman Roger Gussler admitted to his co-workers that he had seen four to five flying saucers on or around the weekend of November 25. For over three hours,
Gussler watched the objects fly over Ashland at an elevation of 15,000 to 20,000 feet. They appeared as red blinking lights, but behaved in a manner not common to any known aircraft at the time. The lights were blinking much slower than a human aircraft. Also, the objects would zip through the skies at great speeds, then abruptly stop---an act which the human body could not handle. 

Gussler was not outright ridiculed by his colleagues. In fact, three other patrolmen agreed to a stakeout at a ranger tower nearby later in the week. Unfortunately, I couldn't find an update as to whether or not they actually saw anything themselves. This is an interesting story, however, because the main witness is not only a member of law enforcement but is also a former pilot. Both these positions would theoretically put him at a greater advantage of discerning the difference between a normal aircraft and one not of this world, and if he were caught lying or deemed 'crazy,' then the damage to his career and reputation would be irreparable. So, even as an unverifiable event, it has earned a spot in the archives of Fortean phenomena here at Theresa's Haunted History!

Messenger-Inquirer (Owensboro KY)
28 November 1967