>> Narrator: THE TWIN PORTS OF LOS ANGELES AND LONG BEACH ARE AMONG THE BUSIEST IN THE WORLD. THOUSANDS OF VESSELS BOTH LARGE AND SMALL TRAVEL THROUGH THESE DEEP, DARK WATERS EACH YEAR. BUT SOME OF THE MOST COMPELLING STORIES ABOUT THESE WATERS EMANATE FROM BELOW THE SURFACE, NOT ABOVE. >><i> IT IS</i> NOT<i> A HOAX, IT IS REAL.</i> >> Narrator: IN 1966, AN UNIDENTIFIED OBJECT THAT REPORTEDLY EMERGED FROM THE CHANNEL IS FILMED TRAVELING AT UP TO 170 MILES PER HOUR OVER THE ISLAND. THIS IS THE FIRST OF NUMEROUS REPORTS OF NAUTICAL OBJECTS DISPLAYING MANY OF THE SAME CHARACTERISTICS AS SO CALLED U.F.O.s, BUT THESE U.F.O.s HAVE BEEN WITNESSED TRAVELING INTO AND OUT OF THE WATER. >> A BRIGHT WHITE LIGHT MOVING PRETTY QUICKLY TOWARDS THE WATER. >> Narrator: THEY ARE KNOWN AS U.S.O.s, UNIDENTIFIED SUBMERGED OBJECTS. >> THERE IS SOMETHING REALLY EXTRAORDINARY IN THESE WATERS. >> Narrator: FOR THE FIRST TIME, NEW WITNESSES HAVE COME FORWARD. >> WE GOT STRUCK WITH A BEAM OF LIGHT. >> Narrator: SUPPORTED BY DOCUMENTATION AND POLICE REPORTS, AND SCIENTIFIC TESTING AND ANALYSIS. >> I THINK WE'VE GOT OUR SMOKING GUN. >> ABSOLUTELY. >> Narrator: THE TEAM FROM "U.F.O. MAGAZINE," PUBLISHER BILL BIRNES, INVESTIGATOR PAT USKERT, SCIENCE INTERN JEFF TOMLINSON, ALONG WITH SCIENCE EXPERT DR. TED ACKWORTH, OPEN THE CASE OF U.S.O.s AROUND CATALINA ISLAND. >> THE U.F.O.s ARE USING THIS PLACE KIND OF LIKE A HUNTER'S BLIND. >> SO WE'RE THE PREY. >> Narrator: IS THIS RASH OF SIGHTINGS SIMPLY THE RESULT OF OVERACTIVE IMAGINATIONS? OR IS IT POSSIBLY SOMETHING MORE? >> I SAW A SET OF LIGHTS UNLIKE ANY OTHER LIGHTS I'D SEEN BEFORE. >> Narrator: THE TEAM ATTEMPTS TO GET ONE STEP CLOSER TO THE ANSWERS. >> THAT'S A TAIL OF AN AIRPLANE RIGHT THERE. THAT'S IT. >> Narrator: FOR THE FIRST TIME ON TELEVISION, THIS IS CASE NUMBER 66307: UNIDENTIFIED SUBMERGED OBJECTS. Captioning sponsored by A&E TELEVISION NETWORKS >> Narrator: CATALINA IS A 175- SQUARE MILE ISLAND 22 MILES TO THE WEST-SOUTHWEST OF LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA. THE CATALINA CHANNEL, WHICH SEPARATES THE ISLAND FROM THE COAST, IS THE MAIN CORRIDOR FOR ONE OF THE BUSIEST HARBORS IN THE WORLD, THE TWIN PORTS OF LOS ANGELES AND LONG BEACH. TO MOST, THE ISLAND APPEARS TO BE AN IDYLLIC SPOT. BUT THE MYSTERY OF THIS AREA STEMS NOT FROM WHAT IS ABOVE THE SURFACE, BUT WHAT IS BENEATH IT. >><i> YOU ARE SEEING AN</i> <i>UNIDENTIFIED FLYING OBJECT.</i> >> Narrator: IT ALL BEGAN ON APRIL 15, 1966, AT APPROXIMATELY 9:45 A.M. AN OBJECT WITH NO TAIL AND NO VISIBLE MEANS OF PROPULSION WAS PHOTOGRAPHED OVER CATALINA ISLAND TRAVELING BETWEEN 130 TO 170 MILES PER HOUR. >><i> THE FILM WAS TAKEN BY LELAND</i> <i>HANSON.</i> <i>MR. HANSON WAS A PROFESSIONAL</i> <i>PHOTOGRAPHER WORKING FOR THE</i> <i>UNITED STATES NAVY.</i> >> Narrator: THE CRAFT, SILVER AND DISC-SHAPED, MADE NO SOUND AS IT MOVED SWIFTLY OVER THE MOUNTAINS AND OUT OF SIGHT. THIS IS THE FIRST RECORDED CASE OF A U.F.O. SEEN HOVERING AROUND THE ISLAND AND OVER THE CHANNEL. IT WOULDN'T BE THE LAST. >> HERE'S THE CASE. I JUST SPOKE WITH NOAH FELICE, WHO'S A PRIVATE PILOT WHO, 30 YEARS AGO, HAD AN ENCOUNTER WITH AN UNIDENTIFIED SUBMERGED OBJECT, A U.S.O., IN THE WATERS OFF CATALINA WHEN--<i> BAM!--</i> THE OBJECT ILLUMINATES HIM WITH A BRIGHT LIGHT, TOTALLY DISORIENTATES HIM, AND HIS PLANE CRASHES INTO WHAT HE SAYS IS A U.F.O. IN RIPPER'S COVE. >> SO YOU'RE SAYING THAT NOAH FELICE'S PLANE CRASHED AS A DIRECT RESULT OF CONTACT WITH A U.S.O.? >> THAT'S WHAT NOAH SAYS. >> WELL, IF WE FIND THAT WRECK, WE MIGHT FIND EVIDENCE OF U.S.O.s. >> THAT'S RIGHT. BAYWATCH INVESTIGATED THIS CASE 30 YEARS AGO, AND THEY ACTUALLY FOUND THE WRECKAGE. >> EVEN IF WE DO FIND IT, 30 YEARS LATER, ALUMINUM UNDER SALTWATER, IT'S LIKELY TO HAVE DETERIORATED. WE'LL DO THE BEST WE CAN. >> OKAY, SO PAT, ROLL IN YOUR EQUIPMENT. TED, YOU'RE DOING THE RESEARCH. I'M OUT OF HERE TO TALK TO NOAH FELICE AND FLY THE ROUTE. >> WHILE BILL IS FLYING WITH NOAH, I'LL BE TALKING TO PAUL ALLIONE AND DAVID RUSSO ABOUT THEIR SIGHTINGS, WHICH ARE VERY SIMILAR TO EACH OTHER, AND THEY ARE VERY SIMILAR TO THE FAMOUS 1966 SIGHTING WHICH WAS CAUGHT ON FILM. SO WE HAVE A LOT OF STRONG CASES AROUND THE CATALINA AREA AND THE CHANNEL. >> Narrator: DURING THE LATE AFTERNOON OF DECEMBER 29, 1968, ATTORNEY PAUL ALLIONE, A RESIDENT OF PALOS VERDES, CALIFORNIA, WITNESSED STRANGE LIGHTS OVER THE SANTA CATALINA CHANNEL. ACCORDING TO ALLIONE, THE LIGHTS FLEW IN FORMATION, THEN UNEXPECTEDLY STOPPED JUST ABOVE THE SURFACE OF THE WATER. >> I LOOKED UP, AND ON THE HORIZON, I SAW A SET OF LIGHTS THAT WERE UNLIKE ANY OTHER LIGHTS I'D EVER SEEN BEFORE. THEY STARTED TO TILT AND LIST. IT GOT TO ABOUT THE 11:00/5:00 POSITION, AND IT WASN'T MOVING. I REALLY, TO THIS DAY, CAN'T TELL YOU WHAT IT WAS. IT WAS NOTHING I'D EVER SEEN BEFORE OR AFTER. >> Narrator: DURING THE SIGHTING, ALLIONE CLICKED ON HIS WALKIE-TALKIE AND HEARD SOMETHING THAT STILL DISTURBS HIM TO THIS DAY. >> I DASHED INTO THE GARAGE, AND I DID KIND OF A, YOU KNOW, A CHILDISH THING, BECAUSE I WENT AND GOT A WALKIE-TALKIE THAT I GOT FOR CHRISTMAS, AND I'M THINKING, "HEY, I'M GOING TO TALK TO THIS THING." BUT WHAT HAPPENED WAS I PICKED UP A SHIP-TO-SHORE TRANSMISSION. THE GENTLEMEN ON THE TRANSMISSION SAID, "THAT'S RIGHT, BOB, I DON'T KNOW WHAT THE HELL IT IS. IT'S ABOUT 200 YARDS OFF MY BOW, AND IT'S STARTING TO TILT." AND HE STARTED TO GO ON TO EXPLAIN EXACTLY WHAT IT WAS THAT I WAS SEEING. AND THAT'S ALL I NEEDED TO FREAK OUT. AND I DID. THE NEXT NIGHT, THE EVENING NEWS CAME ON. ONE OF THE LEAD STORIES WAS... SHE SAID SOMETHING TO THE EFFECT, "WELL, WE'VE GOT AN ANSWER TO ALL THOSE TELEPHONE CALLS THAT WE'VE BEEN GETTING ABOUT THE STRANGE LIGHTS THAT WERE SEEN LAST NIGHT." FOR A STORY TO MAKE THE NEWS ABOUT TELEPHONE CALLS AND INQUIRIES, THERE HAD TO HAVE BEEN MORE THAN A FEW CRACKPOTS CALLING. THERE MUST HAVE BEEN AT LEAST DOZENS OF PEOPLE, PROBABLY HUNDREDS OF PEOPLE, THAT GOT ALL EXCITED TO THE POINT WHERE SOMEBODY FELT AS THOUGH THEY NEEDED TO OFFER UP AN EXPLANATION. IT'S THAT EXPLANATION THAT I FOUND TO BE RATHER HOLLOW. THE ANSWER WAS IT WAS THESE TWO CRAZY COLLEGE KIDS THAT WERE FOOLING AROUND WITH A WEATHER BALLOON. >> WHAT DID YOU THINK ABOUT THAT? >> BUT IT SEEMS TO BE THERE'S AN INORDINATE AMOUNT OF EXPLANATIONS THAT ARE OFFERED UP AS BEING WEATHER BALLOONS. >> INCLUDING THE ROSWELL CRASH. >> NOW AS I LOOK BACK WITH THAT KNOWLEDGE, THESE EXPLANATIONS, I REALIZE EVEN MORE THAT, TO ME, IT CONFIRMED WHAT I SAW AS BEING A LEGITIMATE ANOMALY, AND... >> BECAUSE THE EXPLANATION GIVEN WAS SO ABSURD. >> YEAH, IT WAS ABSURD, AND IT FIT INTO A PATTERN OF ABSURD EXPLANATIONS. >> Narrator: ALLIONE'S SIGHTING, ALONG WITH THE 1966 FILM, WERE THE START OF A RASH OF SIGHTINGS IN THIS AREA. ACCORDING TO THE "LONG BEACH INDEPENDENT," ON JANUARY 23, 1968, AVALON SHERIFF'S DEPUTY RICHARD CALLEN WITNESSED A "MYSTERIOUS UNIDENTIFIED FLOATING OBJECT" THAT HAD "LIGHTS IN ITS PORTALS," AND THEN THE OBJECT EXPLODED. ACCORDING TO THE PAPER, "A BRIGHT LIGHT ILLUMINATED WATERS AROUND THE OBJECT, AND MINUTES LATER A SERIES OF FLARES WERE SHOT INTO THE AIR FROM THE OBJECT." ANOTHER STORY THAT SWEPT THE MEDIA WAS REPORTED BY THE "LOS ANGELES TIMES" ON MARCH 23, 1977. SHERIFF'S SERGEANT VINCENT RUPP RECEIVED DOZENS OF "U.F.O. SIGHTINGS REPORTED FROM SACRAMENTO, SALINAS, LOS ANGELES, ORANGE COUNTY AND MARCH AIR FORCE BASE BETWEEN 3:45 AND 4:00 A.M." ACCORDING TO THE PAPER, THESE WITNESSES INCLUDED MILITARY PERSONNEL FROM MARCH AIR FORCE BASE AND SEVERAL LAW ENFORCEMENT OFFICERS AROUND LOS ANGELES. ONE WITNESS, MARK HOGAN, A RUNWAY WORKER AT L.A.X., SAID, "THE TEARDROP OR TIN CAN-SHAPED LIGHTS SWEEP IN AT HIGH SPEED FROM THE DIRECTION OF SANTA CATALINA ISLAND ABOUT 3:30 A.M. IN MY OPINION, THEY WEREN'T NATURAL." A MILITARY SPOKESMAN AT MARCH AIR FORCE BASE CONFIRMED THAT THE OBJECTS HAD IN FACT BEEN SEEN FROM THE BASE, AND SAID, "THERE HAD BEEN NO ROCKET OR MISSILE TESTINGS WHICH COULD HAVE ACCOUNTED FOR THE LIGHTS. THE OBJECTS DID NOT SHOW UP ON ANY RADAR READINGS." >> NOW I'M OFF TO TALK TO DAVID RUSSO ABOUT HIS U.S.O. EXPERIENCE. NOW WHAT'S SIGNIFICANT ABOUT DAVID RUSSO'S U.S.O. SIGHTING IS THAT, AFTER THE SIGHTING, HE TOOK THE TIME TO MAKE A SKETCH OF THE CRAFT WHILE THE DETAILS WERE FRESH IN HIS MIND. AND THE MORE INFORMATION WE HAVE, THE CLOSER WE ARE TO SOLVING THE MYSTERY OF U.S.O.s AROUND CATALINA. >> I LIVE IN LONG BEACH AND A COUPLE OF BLOCKS FROM THE OCEAN. >> Narrator: DAVID RUSSO, A RETIRED ATTORNEY, REPORTEDLY WITNESSED BRIGHT LIGHTS OVER THE CHANNEL ON AUGUST 4, 2006, WHILE WALKING ALONG THE SHORELINE. >> LATE AT NIGHT, ABOUT 11:30, 11:35, A BRIGHT WHITE LIGHT OFF TO THE WEST OUT NEAR SAN PEDRO CAUGHT MY EYE. AND IT WAS MOVING TOWARDS THE WATER AT A VERY STEEP ANGLE, MOVING PRETTY QUICKLY. IT GOT TO A POINT MAYBE HALF A MILE, A MILE OUT IN FRONT OF ME, AND IT JUST STOPPED. >> OVER THE WATER? ON THE WATER? >> OVER THE WATER, MAYBE TEN, 15, 20 FEET ABOVE THE WATER. THE SHORTER SIDE HAD THREE OR FOUR BLUE LIGHTS ON IT, AND THE LONGER SIDE SEEMED TO HAVE SIX OR EIGHT BLUE LIGHTS. >> OKAY. >> IT ROTATED AND DID THIS FOR ABOUT A HALF A MINUTE TO 45 SECONDS. THEN THE BLUE LIGHTS WENT OFF, AND IT JUST, FROM A STOPPED... GONE, WENT OUT TOWARDS CATALINA ISLAND IN LESS THAN A SECOND. I RATHER WOULD HAVE NOT SEEN IT. >> YOU THINK LIFE WOULD BE EASIER IF YOU JUST HADN'T SEEN IT? >> YEAH. AND NOW THERE'S THIS LITTLE PIECE BACK HERE THAT JUST IS ALWAYS WONDERING AND ALWAYS THINKING, WHAT THE HECK DID I SEE AND WILL I EVER KNOW? >> Narrator: THE DARK, MYSTERIOUS WATERS SURROUNDING CATALINA ISLAND-- ONE OF THE MOST ACTIVE HOTSPOTS ON EARTH FOR REPORTED U.S.O. SIGHTINGS, UNIDENTIFIED SUBMERGED OBJECTS. ON JANUARY 26, 1980, A PILOT'S REPORTED ENCOUNTER WITH A U.S.O. ABOVE THE SANTA CATALINA CHANNEL LEFT ONE MAN DEAD AND HAS BECOME ONE OF THE SEMINAL U.S.O. EVENTS IN HISTORY. NOAH FELICE, A PILOT WITH 14 YEARS EXPERIENCE, AND HIS COUSIN MARK TAKE OFF FROM CATALINA ISLAND, HEADING TOWARD LAS VEGAS IN NOAH'S 1972 PIPER CHEROKEE. ACCORDING TO FELICE, HE SPOTS AN OBJECT IN THE WATER. AS HE LOOPS AROUND TO GET A BETTER LOOK, THE UNIDENTIFIED OBJECT SUDDENLY SHOOTS OUT A BEAM OF LIGHT THAT RENDERS NOAH'S PLANE INOPERABLE. MOMENTS LATER, THE PLANE FALLS OVER 1,000 FEET INTO THE DEEP WATERS OF THE CHANNEL. NOAH IS RESCUED; HIS COUSIN MARK DOES NOT SURVIVE. >> AND IT'S AN IMPORTANT CASE FOR THREE BIG REASONS. ONE, IT'S CURRENT-- YOU'RE NOT TALKING ABOUT SOME 60-YEAR-OLD CASE WHERE ALL THE WITNESSES ARE GONE. TWO, NOAH'S A PILOT: HE'S A TRAINED OBSERVER; HE KNOWS WHAT HE'S LOOKING FOR; HE'S NOT GIVEN TO FANTASIES. THREE, THAT CREDIBILITY IS TESTED IN COURT BECAUSE NOAH FELICE IS A PRIVATE INVESTIGATOR. IN EVERY SINGLE CASE, HE'S ON THE WITNESS STAND, HE'S TESTIFYING. IT'S AS CREDIBLE AS YOU CAN GET. IT'S A GREAT STORY. WE'RE EXCITED TO INVESTIGATE IT. SO WHY DON'T YOU TELL ME WHAT IT WAS LIKE AS YOU TOOK OFF FROM HERE 28 YEARS AGO AND FLEW OUT TO THE ISLAND? >> WE TOOK OFF AND, JUST OUT OF THE CLEAR BLUE SKY, MY LITTLE COUSIN TOLD ME HE HAD FIVE TO SIX MONTHS TO LIVE. >> THIS WAS A PERSON YOU'VE KNOWN SINCE YOU WERE WHAT? >> WE GREW UP TOGETHER. WE WERE AS CLOSE TO BIOLOGICAL BROTHERS, I THINK, AS TWO MALES COULD GET. ONCE HE SAID THAT, THAT HE HAD FIVE OR SIX MONTHS TO LIVE, I WAS GOING TO GET A VECTOR IN THE AIR AND GO RIGHT STRAIGHT TO LAS VEGAS AND KIND OF LIGHTEN THE MOOD. >> SO BASICALLY YOU WERE JUST GOING TO HEAD OFF TO VEGAS AND SPEND SOME TIME TOGETHER BECAUSE YOU DIDN'T KNOW HOW LONG YOU REALLY HAD. >> Narrator: NOAH AND BILL BOARD A PLANE TO FLY NOAH'S ORIGINAL ROUTE FROM 1980. >> SO YOU TOOK OFF FROM HERE, AND WHAT HAPPENED THEN? >> WE WERE FLYING ALONG, AND I STARTED TO GET VERY STRANGE FEELINGS, KIND OF LIKE WHEN THE HAIR GOES BACK ON TO YOUR BACK, AND I SEE A VERY STRANGE OBJECT IN THE WATER ABOUT THE SIZE OF TWO HOUSES. NO DEFINITIVE SHAPE THAT I CAN SEE BECAUSE OF THE WATER. >> Narrator: FROM HERE, FELICE'S ACCOUNT TAKES A RADICAL TURN. HE SAYS THAT AS HE CAME AROUND TO GET A CLOSER LOOK AT THE CRAFT, HE SAW FIGURES. >> ON THE TOP OF THIS OBJECT WAS A DOOR. IT WASN'T REALLY A PERSON, BUT IT WASN'T NOT A PERSON. I DIDN'T KNOW WHAT TO THINK. THAT'S WHY I DECIDED TO MAKE A TURN AND COME AROUND BACK AND GET A BETTER VIEW. >> AND WHAT HAPPENED THEN? >> WE GOT STRUCK WITH A BEAM OF LIGHT. >> Narrator: ACCORDING TO FELICE, AFTER HE MADE THIS TURN, HE WAS BLINDED WITH AN EXTREMELY BRIGHT LIGHT EMANATING FROM THIS OBJECT. THE LIGHT TRACKED THE PLANE FOR THE NEXT 34 SECONDS. AT THE SAME TIME, IT SEEMED TO ALSO TAKE CONTROL OF THE PLANE'S INSTRUMENTATION. >> IT WAS ALIVE, IT WAS LIKE A LIQUID LIGHT. THAT'S WHEN SOUND STARTED SHUTTING OFF. YOU COULDN'T FEEL THE VIBRATION IN THE CHAIR FROM THE ENGINE. AND WE GOT HIT WITH A SECOND BEAM. >> Narrator: THE SECOND BEAM, ACCORDING TO FELICE, TOOK EVEN MORE CONTROL OVER THE PLANE, FINALLY BRINGING IT TO ITS TRAGIC FATE. >> THE INSIDE OF THE AIRPLANE WAS GLOWING, AND I KNEW WE WERE MOVING BECAUSE THE LIGHT WAS BECOMING MORE INTENSE. AND IT SEEMED AS THOUGH WE HAD PASSED THROUGH NOT A DOORWAY PHYSICAL, BUT A DOORWAY OF A PORT OR SOME SORT OF FRAMEWORK OF THE LIGHT. AND THEN IT WAS<i> BANG!</i> >> Narrator: NOAH, ALONG WITH HIS COUSIN MARK'S BODY, WERE RECOVERED BY A BAYWATCH PATROL CRAFT 20 MINUTES LATER. UPON IMPACT, NOAH BELIEVES HE WOULD HAVE BEEN THROWN FROM THE COCKPIT. HIS SEATBELT WOULD HAVE BEEN TORN AND THE WINDSHIELD WOULD HAVE BEEN CERTAINLY DESTROYED. BUT NO SUCH TRAUMA OCCURRED. NOAH ONLY SUSTAINED A CONCUSSION AND A BROKEN LEG. NOAH IS CONVINCED THAT HE WAS SOMEHOW RESCUED BY THE U.S.O., AND HE FURTHER BELIEVES THAT WHEN THE PLANE IS FOUND UNDERWATER BY THE TEAM, BOTH SEATBELTS WILL BE FASTENED AND THE WINDSHIELD WILL BE FULLY INTACT. >> IT WAS UNBELIEVABLE. I WAS FREEZING. I REMEMBER BLOOD EVERYWHERE. I MEAN, IT WAS HORRIBLE. IT WAS BAD. I WAS DEAD FOR 15 TO 20 MINUTES BEFORE THEY FOUND ME UNDER THE WATER. >> DEAD FOR 15 TO 20 MINUTES? THAT'S CLOSE TO A MEDICAL IMPOSSIBILITY. THEORETICALLY, AFTER BLOOD STOPS REACHING YOUR BRAIN FOR SOMETHING LIKE FIVE TO SEVEN MINUTES, YOUR BRAIN CELLS SHRINK AND YOU BECOME BRAIN DEAD. >> AND THE OTHER THING, I DON'T UNDERSTAND WHY THE SHARKS DIDN'T GET ME. >> WE'RE GOING TO GO DOWN TO THE BOTTOM OF THAT TRENCH, AND IF THAT PLANE'S DOWN THERE, WE'RE GOING TO BRING IT UP. LET'S SEE WHAT WE CAN FIND. WE'VE JUST FLOWN THE ROUTE WITH NOAH FELICE TO SEE WHERE THE U.S.O. SHOT HIM DOWN. NOW IT'S UP TO PAT TO GET OUT THERE TO FIND THE WRECK. NOAH SAID HE DOESN'T REMEMBER GETTING OUT OF THE COCKPIT, BUT HE HAD NO CUTS OR SCRATCHES ON HIM. HOW DID HE GET OUT OF THE COCKPIT IF NOT THROUGH THE WINDSHIELD? IS THE SEATBELT ATTACHED? IF IT'S ATTACHED, THAT GIVES CREDIBILITY TO HIS STORY THAT THE ALIENS TOOK HIM OUT OF THE SEAT. AND WHAT ABOUT THE INSTRUMENTS? IF WE FIND AN INSTRUMENT MAGNETICALLY LOCKED IN A CERTAIN POSITION, IT WILL TELL US WHAT HIT THAT PLANE. >> TO SOLVE THIS CASE, WE'VE GOT TO FIND THAT PLANE. >> LET'S SHOVE OFF. WE'RE COMING UP NOW ON OUR FIRST POINT, WHERE THE AVALON SHERIFF STATION IS SAYING THEIR REPORT SAYS THE WRECKAGE LIES, WHICH IS ON EMPIRE LANDING. THE ISTHMUS BAYWATCH SAYS IT'S OVER IN RIPPERS COVE. >> Narrator: THE TEAM HAS SECURED THE REPORTS FROM THE AVALON CATALINA SHERIFF'S STATION. IT SAYS THERE ARE TWO PROBABLE LOCATIONS FOR NOAH'S PLANE: EMPIRE LANDING AND RIPPERS COVE. BOTH LOCATIONS ARE APPROXIMATELY EIGHT MILES FROM AVALON AND ARE ON THE LOS ANGELES SIDE OF THE ISLAND. THE TEAM IS HEADING TO THE FIRST LOCATION, EMPIRE LANDING, WHERE THE WATER'S DEPTH REACHES 60 FEET. >> HOW MUCH MORE DO WE HAVE TO GO? >> ANOTHER 40 FEET. >> ANOTHER 40 FEET? >> YEAH. >> Narrator: THE TEAM IS LOWERING A SIDE SCAN SONAR DEVICE THAT WILL BE TOWED BEHIND THE BOAT. SIDE SCAN SONAR BOUNCES RADIO WAVES OFF THE BOTTOM OF THE CHANNEL AND SENDS A SIGNAL BACK UP TO A COMPUTER ON BOARD THAT CONVERTS THE SOUNDINGS INTO A PICTURE. JOINING THE TEAM ARE THE SONAR OPERATORS FROM AQUA SURVEY. >> WHAT WOULD A TARGET LOOK LIKE? WHAT SHOULD I BE LOOKING FOR ON THE SCREEN? >> HIGH REFLECTIVITY. METAL. >> SO ANYTHING THAT'S TOO STRAIGHT, ANYTHING THAT LOOKS JOINED, ANYTHING THAT'S NOT CURVED, DOESN'T LOOK ERODED. >> RIGHT. THEY SAY IT'S SORT OF LIKE PORNOGRAPHY; YOU CAN'T DESCRIBE IT... >> BUT YOU KNOW IT WHEN YOU SEE IT. >> Narrator: THE TEAM ARRIVES AT EMPIRE LANDING. >> ARE WE IN THE AREA RIGHT NOW, IN THE TARGET AREA? >> YEAH. WE'RE COMING UP ON IT. >> Narrator: THE AQUA SURVEY TEAM BEGINS THEIR SWEEP AND WILL SCAN ALONG PARALLEL SEARCH LINES CALLED TRANSITS. EACH TRANSIT TAKES APPROXIMATELY 30 MINUTES TO COVER. ACCORDING TO THE AVALON SHERIFF'S REPORT, THE PLANE SHOULD BE ALONG ONE OF THESE TRANSITS. >> SO WHAT'S THAT? >> GARY, ARE WE CLOSE TO THE SITE? >><i> WE'RE CLOSE.</i> <i>YOU SHOULD DEFINITELY START</i> <i>LOOKING.</i> >> AH, YEAH, WE'VE JUST GONE THROUGH A DEBRIS FIELD THERE. >><i> RIGHT, BUT HE SAID THAT</i> <i>DEBRIS FIELD IS... IS BULL</i> <i>KELP.</i> >> Narrator: WHAT SHOWED UP ON SONAR IS ACTUALLY BULL KELP, A FAST-GROWING TYPE OF SEAWEED COMMON ON THE PACIFIC COAST. THE DENSITY OF THE KELP HAS GIVEN A FALSE READING ON THE SONAR. >> DO WE THINK IT'S A PLANE? >> I DON'T THINK SO. >> I DON'T THINK SO. >> PAT? >> NO, IT DIDN'T LOOK LIKE A PLANE TO ME. >> THAT'S A NEGATIVE. >> Narrator: THE TEAM HAS CONFIRMED THAT THE WRECKAGE IS NOT AT THIS SITE. IT HEADS TO THE SECOND POSSIBLE LOCATION, RIPPERS COVE, 4.5 MILES TO THE EAST. >> I FEEL THE URGENCY TO FOLLOW THIS ROUTE FOUR AND A HALF MILES EAST OF THE ISTHMUS, AND I'M SURE WE'RE GOING TO HIT THAT PLANE BETWEEN HERE AND THAT PEAK. I WANT THAT PLANE. OH, WAIT A MINUTE. WAIT A MINUTE. WAIT A MINUTE. WAIT A MINUTE. >> WHOA. >> UH-OH. >> NOW LOOK AT THE SIGNAL STRENGTH RETURN HERE. NOW THAT'S HIGH. >> THAT'S A TAIL OF AN AIRPLANE RIGHT THERE! THAT'S IT. LOOK AT THAT. THAT'S A 15-FOOT WING, 30-FOOT WINGSPAN. LOOK AT THE TAIL. >> WHATEVER THAT IS... >> LOOK AT THE TAIL. I THINK WE GOT A TAIL AND A WING. SEE IT? >> I SEE IT. COULD THIS BE IT, NOAH? PAT, COME OVER HERE TAKE A LOOK AT THIS. WE'RE PASSING OVER A DEBRIS FIELD. >> NO WAY. WHAT DO WE GOT? >> TAKE A LOOK. >> DOES THAT LOOK LIKE A WING AND A TAIL, FUSELAGE AND A TAIL, TO YOU? >> OH, MY GOD. HEY, CAPTAIN DAVE? >> YEAH. >> IT LOOKS LIKE WE'RE OVER SOME KIND OF DEBRIS FIELD. I THINK IT'S TIME TO PUT SOME DIVERS IN THE WATER. >> SOUNDS GOOD. LET'S GET THEM IN. >> OKAY. >> JAKE, YOU GOT 70 FOOT OF WATER UNDERNEATH THE BOAT. HEAD DUE NORTH, U-PATTERN. DON'T GO BELOW A HUNDRED FOOT. >> OKAY, JAKE, IF YOU FIND THE WRECK, I WANT YOU TO LOOK TO SEE FIRST IF THE WINDSHIELD IS INTACT. I WANT YOU TO LOOK INSIDE THE COCKPIT IF THAT'S INTACT. IF THE COCKPIT'S INTACT, LOOK TO SEE IF THE SEATBELTS, EITHER ONE, ARE STILL HOOKED UP. >> Narrator: AFTER THE CRASH, NOAH CLAIMS HE WAS REMOVED FROM THE PLANE BY AN UNKNOWN ENTITY, POSSIBLY THE SAME ENTITY THAT BROUGHT THE PLANE DOWN. NOAH WAS RESCUED OUTSIDE OF THE PLANE. THE ONLY WAY OUT WOULD HAVE BEEN THROUGH THE WINDSHIELD. IF THE SEATBELT AND WINDSHIELD ARE INTACT, IT WOULD SUPPORT NOAH'S STORY OF WHAT HAPPENED. >> NOAH, GIVE HIM THE TAIL NUMBER. >> IT'S 81 MIKE. >> 8-1-MIKE. GOOD LUCK. BRING HER UP FOR US. >> JAKE, ANY LUCK? >> WELL, AT FIRST, I THOUGHT IT WAS THE PLANE. I WAS LIKE, OH, MAN, HERE IT IS! I START, LIKE, MOVING AROUND, LOOKING AT IT, LOOKING AT IT. I GO TO THE BACK AND SEE THIS VERY FAMILIAR SHAPE. IT'S AN OUTBOARD MOTOR. >> Narrator: OUTSIDE OF FELICE'S TESTIMONY, TWO OTHER CREDIBLE SOURCES CONTINUE TO LIST THIS AREA AS THE CRASH LOCATION, CATALINA BAYWATCH AND THE AVALON SHERIFF'S STATION. BUT NOW, THE MYSTERY HAS DEEPENED; THE AIRCRAFT IS NOT HERE. >> JAKE'S COME OUT OF THE WATER, AND HE'S DONE A LOT OF DIVING. HE FOUND A LOT OF TARGETS DOWN THERE BUT DIDN'T FIND NOAH FELICE'S PLANE. WHERE IS IT? WE'RE GOING TO SEND JEFF AND TED TO THE LAB. THEY'RE GOING TO ANALYZE THE CURRENTS, THE SLOPE, THE TIDES, THE WINDS. THEY'RE GOING TO FIND OUT WHAT MIGHT HAVE HAPPENED TO NOAH'S PLANE. THIS IS A MYSTERY, BUT MAYBE IN THE LAB WE CAN FIGURE OUT WHAT HAPPENED TO ALL THAT WRECKAGE OF NOAH FELICE'S PLANE. >> Narrator: SINCE 1980, THE PLANE COULD HAVE DRIFTED FROM ITS ORIGINAL POSITION. >> HEY, JOHN, JEFF. >> HEY. >> JEFF AND I ARE HERE IN TINDALL'S LAB, AND WE'RE GOING TO RECALCULATE THE POSITION, SEE IF WE CAN UNCOVER ANY ADDITIONAL INFORMATION THAT WOULD HELP US GET A BETTER ESTIMATE OF THE LOCATION OF THE AIRCRAFT. >> Narrator: SCIENCE PRODUCER JOHN TINDALL WILL DEMONSTRATE THE FORCES AT WORK BELOW THE SURFACE OF THE WATER AND WHAT EFFECT THAT MIGHT HAVE HAD ON NOAH'S PLANE OVER THE PAST 27 YEARS. >> THE BERNOULLI EFFECT BASICALLY SAYS THAT FLUID IN MOTION HAS LESS PRESSURE THAN STATIC FLUIDS. IF YOU LOOK AT THESE TWO CARDS RIGHT HERE, WE CAN ACTUALLY PULL THEM TOGETHER BY SPEEDING UP THE LIQUID BETWEEN THEM, OR THE FLUID-- IN THIS CASE, AIR-- AND IT PULLS THEM RIGHT TOGETHER. WE SEE THIS ALL THE TIME WITH AIRPLANE WINGS. THE AIR MOVING OVER THE TOP OF THE WING IS MOVING FASTER THAN THE AIR UNDER THE WING, CREATES A LOW PRESSURE ZONE, YOU GET LIFT. WHAT WE THINK MIGHT HAVE HAPPENED TO THIS WRECK UNDER THE WATER IS THAT, AS YOU HAVE THE WRECK SITTING THERE AND AS THE WATER CURRENTS ARE GOING OVER THIS, IT'S LIFTING IT SLIGHTLY. AND IF IT'S ON AN INCLINE, IT CAN BE LIFTING AND SLIDING DOWN, AND LIFTING AND SLIDING DOWN, AND PUMPING ITSELF DEEPER AND DEEPER AND DEEPER. >> LET'S SEE IF WE CAN PROVE THAT THE AIRCRAFT FUSELAGE HAS BEEN AGITATED BY BERNOULLI EFFECT. IF YOU LOOK AT THE TOPOGRAPHY OF THE LOCATION JUST OFFSHORE THERE ON CATALINA ISLAND, YOU HAVE A VERY STEEP CLIFF FACE COMING DOWN TO THE WATER LINE, AND IT ACTUALLY CONTINUES AT A VERY STEEP SLOPE DOWN INTO THE DEPTHS. AND IF THE AIRCRAFT LANDED UP CLOSE TO THE SHORELINE-- AND WE BELIEVE THAT IT LANDED IN 40 TO 50 FEET OF WATER-- THEN IT SETTLED ONTO THE BOTTOM AT A STEEP SLOPE ANGLE, WHICH COULD LEAD TO IT SLIDING, MOVING OVER 30 YEARS DOWN SLOPE AND DOWN INTO THE DEPTHS. >> SO I'M GOING TO START THE CURRENT FLOW. IT'S GOING TO BE A LITTLE LOUD, BUT WE'LL JUST HAVE TO TALK OVER THAT. >> YEAH, YOU SEE HOW IT'S ACTUALLY DIGGING OUT UNDERNEATH THE FRONT SIDE OF THE OBJECT AND BUILDING UP MATERIAL ON THE BACK SIDE OF THE OBJECT. >> THERE IT GOES DOWN, RIGHT THERE. >> IT'S SETTLING, SETTLING DOWN. >> Narrator: AS WATER RUSHES TOWARD THE SAMPLE, THE OCEAN FLOOR WOULD BE PUSHED AWAY, ALLOWING GRAVITY TO PULL THE OBJECT FURTHER DOWNHILL. >> I THINK WITH THE FIRST DIVE WE DIDN'T REALLY HAVE A GOOD SENSE OF JUST HOW STEEP THIS DROP OFF WAS. >> Narrator: IN ORDER TO DETERMINE THE LOCATION OF THE PLANE AFTER ALMOST 30 YEARS OF DRIFTING, TED USES THE LENGTH OF THE CATALINA AIRSTRIP AS A GUIDE. >> CATALINA AIRSTRIP AT THIS SCALE IS A LITTLE BIT OVER AN INCH AND A HALF IN LENGTH. WE'RE GETTING A CONTOUR HERE THAT IN ABOUT 0.2 INCH IS 60 FEET OF ADDITIONAL DEPTH. >> Narrator: THE AMOUNT OF DRIFT CAUSED BY THE CURRENT, ALONG WITH THE STEEPNESS OF THE OCEAN FLOOR IN THIS AREA, MAY HAVE CAUSED THE PLANE TO FALL DEEPER INTO THE CHANNEL. THIS EFFECT IS KNOWN AS MASS WASTING. >> MASS WASTING IS ANYTIME YOU HAVE MOVEMENT OF ROCKS, DIRT, DEBRIS DOWNHILL, BEING PULLED BY GRAVITY. THAT'S HOW YOU GET MUDSLIDES OR, IN THE CASE OF UNDERWATER, YOU GET THE DEBRIS MOVING DOWNHILL. >> IN THIS CASE, IN CATALINA, WE HAVE A NUMBER OF THE FACTORS THAT WOULD REALLY EXACERBATE THAT EFFECT. >> Narrator: THE TEAM BELIEVES THE WETNESS OF THE SOIL, THE LACK OF COHESION IN THE OCEAN SAND AND THE ANGLE OF INCLINE ARE ALL CAUSES FOR WHY THIS PLANE IS MISSING. >> YOU CAN SEE THE BIG ROCKS ARE ALREADY... ALREADY ROLLING DOWN, YOU KNOW. SO LOOK AT THIS MASS WASTING. NOW JUST IMAGINE IF THERE WERE AN OBJECT ON THE SURFACE OF THIS THING. IT WOULD JUST BE TRAVELING RIGHT DOWN THE HILL WITH THE WHOLE PILE OF SAND. SO NOW THERE'S, YOU KNOW, OUR AIRPLANE FUSELAGE SITTING ON THE SURFACE. SO YOU'RE ACTUALLY PUSHING WATER UPHILL AGAINST IT, AND WE'RE GOING TO SEE IF IT STILL FALLS DOWNHILL AGAINST THAT. THERE IT GOES. LOOK AT THAT. >> IT CAME AT IT. >> IT FELL TOWARDS, AGAINST THE CURRENT. >> THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN GRAVITY AND THE COHESION EFFECT ON THE GRANULES, WE CAN SEE THAT OVER A SHORT PERIOD OF TIME, THE OBJECT MOVED FAIRLY QUICKLY. AND OVER A LONG PERIOD OF TIME-- SAY, 30 YEARS-- THIS OBJECT COULD HAVE TRAVELED QUITE FAR. >> GUYS, I THINK WE'VE GOT OUR SMOKING GUN. >> ABSOLUTELY. >> I HAVE NO DOUBT THAT IN THE LOCATION WHERE WE EXPECT THIS CRASH SITE TO BE, WITH THAT SLOPE AND ALL THE FACTORS, THAT WE'VE GOT A GOOD AMOUNT OF MASS TRANSPORT MOVING DOWNHILL INTO THE DEPTHS. BASED ON THESE... THIS MODEL AND THESE EXPERIMENTS, WE KNOW THIS AIRCRAFT IS FURTHER OFFSHORE. >> RIGHT. >> AND WE'LL JUST SET UP A NEW SEARCH GRID JUST A BIT FURTHER OFFSHORE. >> Narrator: BASED ON THE EXPERIMENTS IN THE LAB, THE TEAM HEADS OUT FOR A NEW AREA WHERE THEY BELIEVE THE WRECKAGE HAS DRIFTED. IT'S TWO MILES EAST OF THEIR ORIGINAL SEARCH LOCATION. >> BASED ON SOME NEW INFORMATION WE HAVE, WHICH IS THE EXPECTED WATER CURRENT IN THAT AREA, WE'VE EXTENDED THE SEARCH PATTERN INTO SOME DEEPER WATER. >> Narrator: THE NEW SEARCH AREA MOVES THE TEAM CLOSER TO THE SAN PEDRO BASIN. AT A DEPTH OF ALMOST ONE MILE, IT IS ONE OF THE DEEPEST SECTIONS OF THE CHANNEL. MANY U.F.O. RESEARCHERS BELIEVE THAT THE HIGH CONCENTRATION OF U.S.O. SIGHTINGS HERE MIGHT BE SOMEHOW RELATED TO THIS DEEP TRENCH. THEY SAY THAT THE DEPTH OFFERS AN IDEAL HIDING SPOT FOR U.S.O.s. >> AND THIS IS WHAT WE ARE LOOKING FOR. IT'S A PIPER CHEROKEE LOW WING. WE THINK THAT THE WRECK IS SOMEWHERE OUT HERE, RIGHT? AND THE PREVIOUS SCANS THAT WE'VE DONE ARE ALONG THIS HIGHLIGHTED AREA. WHAT WE'RE PREDICTING HERE IS THAT THIS WRECK HAS ACTUALLY BEEN SLOWLY WORKING ITS WAY DOWN THIS STEEP SLOPE, GETTING OUT INTO DEEPER AND DEEPER WATER. >> Narrator: THE STRONG CURRENT IN THE CHANNEL WILL CAUSE OBJECTS TO DRIFT OVER TIME. AS THE CURRENT LIFTS OBJECTS FROM THE FLOOR, GRAVITY WILL SLOWLY PULL IT DEEPER INTO THE CHANNEL. THIS IS THE SCIENTIFIC THEORY, BUT THE TEAM NOW HAS TO CONSIDER A NEW THEORY. COULD THE PLANE WRECKAGE HAVE POSSIBLY BEEN TAKEN BY A U.S.O.? >> WE'RE GOING TO SPEAK TO PRESTON DENNETT. PRESTON IS GOING TO TELL US WHAT SOME OF THE STORIES ARE ABOUT THE MYSTERIES OF THIS PARTICULAR CHANNEL. HE'S WRITTEN A LOT OF BOOKS ON U.F.O.s AND U.S.O.s OVER SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA. HE'S GOING TO HELP US COMB THE MYSTERIES OF THIS CHANNEL AND FIND OUT EXACTLY WHAT'S GOING ON WITH U.S.O.s OVER THE CATALINA TRENCH. >> I THINK IT'S ONE OF THE HOTSPOTS FOR U.S.O. ACTIVITY IN PARTICULAR IN THE WORLD. IT'S EXTRAORDINARY. THE ACTIVITY HERE GOES BACK TO AT LEAST 1947, THE DAWN OF THE MODERN AGE OF U.F.O.s. I'VE COLLECTED PROBABLY 50, 100 REPORTS OF THIS KIND IN JUST THIS AREA HERE. >> Narrator: U.S.O. RESEARCHER AND AUTHOR PRESTON DENNET HAS TRACKED NUMEROUS REPORTS IN THE SANTA CATALINA CHANNEL AND HAS A CONTROVERSIAL THEORY ON THE CONCENTRATION OF U.S.O. SIGHTINGS IN THIS AREA. >> I CAME UP WITH THE THEORY THAT PERHAPS THERE IS AN UNDERWATER BASE HERE. WHICH SOUNDS FANTASTIC, I KNOW, BUT HOW ELSE CAN YOU EXPLAIN THE HUGE NUMBER OF REPORTS? >> WHY WOULD THEY CHOOSE THIS PLACE AS A BASE, OF ALL PLACES? >> THEY'RE HERE BECAUSE OF US. WHAT'S UNIQUE ABOUT THIS PARTICULAR AREA IS IT'S VERY CLOSE TO A LARGE POPULATION BASE, LOS ANGELES. SO MY THEORY IS THAT THE U.S.O.s ARE USING THIS PLACE KIND OF LIKE A HUNTER'S BLIND. THEY'RE ABLE TO HIDE THEIR CRAFT, DO WHATEVER THEY NEED TO DO, AND STILL HAVE ACCESS TO A VERY LARGE POPULATION BASE. IT TURNS OUT THE GEOGRAPHY OF THIS AREA IS RIDDLED WITH CAVES AND UNDERGROUND TUNNELS LEADING FROM, SAY, EDWARDS AIR FORCE BASE TO VANDENBERG TO CATALINA ISLAND. >> OH, WOW. >> SO THERE IS SOME MILITARY INVOLVEMENT HERE. I'VE GOT A CASE WHICH TOOK PLACE HERE IN 1967. A GENTLEMAN WAS ACTUALLY ABDUCTED RIGHT HERE IN AVALON HARBOR OFF THE BOAT, AND HE RECALLED UNDER HYPNOSIS BEING TAKEN INTO AN AREA WHERE THERE WAS ROCK WALLS. HE HAD THE DISTINCT IMPRESSION THIS WAS UNDERGROUND. IT HAD TO BE SOMEWHERE CLOSE. WHERE ELSE WOULD IT BE BUT, YOU KNOW, IN THE BAY HERE? >> Narrator: THE SANTA CATALINA CHANNEL HAS A DEPTH OF ALMOST ONE MILE, AND IF THERE WERE CAVES AND TUNNELS BENEATH THE WATER, CONVENTIONAL TECHNOLOGY WOULD HAVE TROUBLE EVEN CONFIRMING THEIR EXISTENCE. >> WE CANNOT TRAVEL TO THE EXTREME DEPTHS THAT THESE CRAFT CAN. >> EVEN OUR BIG NUKE SUBMARINES CANT TRAVEL DOWN TO THOSE BASES? >> NOT WITH THE EASE THAT THESE CRAFT CAN DO. THESE CRAFT ARE ABLE TO ACTUALLY COME UP OUT OF THE WATER AND FLY STRAIGHT UP. WE HAVE NOTHING THAT CAN DO THAT. >> HAD YOU THOUGHT ABOUT WHAT KIND OF TECHNOLOGY IT TAKES THAT THEY MAY HAVE TO DO THIS? >> WHATEVER IT IS, IT'S WAY BEYOND, I THINK, ANYTHING THAT WE HAVE. >> WHAT'S SPOOKY THAT YOU'RE TELLING ME ABOUT IS WHEN YOU CALL THIS PLACE A HUNTER'S BLIND, BECAUSE IF IT'S A HUNTER'S BLIND, THERE'S A HUNTER. AND THE ONLY OTHER PEOPLE AROUND HERE ARE US, AND WE'RE THE PREY. >> I KNOW IT'S A LITTLE DISCONCERTING. I THINK THE WITNESSES COME TO THE REALIZATION THAT WE ARE NOT ALONE, AND THAT WE HAVE NOT BEEN ALONE FOR A LONG, LONG TIME. >> WELL, IF I'M A LITTLE BIT GREEN IN THE FACE, IT'S BECAUSE THE CROSSING OF THE CATALINA WAS A BIT ROUGH. WE HAD ABOUT AN HOUR OF BOUNCING ON EIGHT-FOOT SWELLS, SO THAT DIDN'T REALLY GO WELL WITH MY SCRAMBLED EGGS BREAKFAST THAT I HAD THIS MORNING. >> LET'S GET THIS FISH IN THE WATER. >> YEAH. >> OKAY. >> Narrator: CAPTAIN RAY ARNST HAS BEEN SAILING THE WATERS OF THE CATALINA CHANNEL FOR OVER 20 YEARS. >> OKAY, WE'RE SET UP AND ROLLING. LET'S MAKE IT RECORD. >> WE'VE GOT OUR SIDE SCAN SONAR IN THE WATER-- OR FISH, AS IT'S CALLED-- AND WE'RE GOING BACK AND FORTH ON OUR GRID SEARCHING FOR OUR TARGET. >> WE'VE GOT A LITTLE BIT OF A HIT ON THE SIDE SCAN. WHAT WE WANT TO DO NOW IS WE WANT TO RUN THE SOUNDER OVER IT, SEE IF WE CAN FIND A TARGET. >> SO WHAT DOES THE HIT LOOK LIKE? >> CYLINDRICAL. >> CYLINDRICAL. >> LIKE AN AIRCRAFT FUSELAGE, PERHAPS? >> YEAH. >> WOULD WE NOT ALSO SEE WINGS OR ANYTHING ELSE? WHY WOULD WE ONLY SEE THE FUSELAGE? >> IT COULD HAVE BROKEN OFF ON IMPACT. IT COULD BE THE ORIENTATION WHERE YOU CAN'T SEE THE WINGS, MAYBE YOU'RE LOOKING RIGHT DOWN ON THE WINGS. >> OKAY. >> LOTS OF REASONS. >> Narrator: THE TEAM CONTINUES ITS SEARCH OF RIPPERS COVE. >> HEY, TED, YOU BETTER TAKE A LOOK AT THIS. >> WHAT DO YOU GOT? >> I GOT ONE THAT LOOKS JUST LIKE AN AIRPLANE ON THE SIDE SCAN. >> YEAH. >> EXCELLENT. >> VERY DISTINCTIVE. LOOKS LIKE AN ENGINE, WINGS. THAT DEFINITELY LOOKS LIKE AN AIRPLANE. >> WOW, SO IT'S NOT JUST A TARGET, IT ACTUALLY LOOKS LIKE A PLANE. >> THAT'S AN AIRPLANE. ACTUALLY, I'M GOING TO GO IN THE WATER WITH YOU THIS TIME. LET'S BOTH GO. >> I'M REALLY EXCITED THAT WE HAVE A TARGET THAT ACTUALLY LOOKS LIKE A PLANE. AND THERE'S A HIGH LIKELIHOOD THAT THIS IS THE PLANE. IF HE WAS TAKEN BY EXTRATERRESTRIALS FROM THE CRAFT, THE WINDSHIELD WOULDN'T BE BROKEN AND THE SEATBELTS SHOULD STILL BE INTACT. SO I'M HOPING TO FIND A WINDSHIELD THAT IS NOT BROKEN AND SEATBELTS THAT ARE INTACT, AND THAT WOULD LEND CREDIBILITY TO HIS STORY OF EXTRATERRESTRIAL CONTACT. >> Narrator: PAT AND TED SEARCH A PLANE CRASH SITE AT 33 DEGREES, 27 MINUTES NORTH AND 118 DEGREES 25 MINUTES WEST. THE WRECK SITS APPROXIMATELY 100 FEET BELOW THE SURFACE. IT IS A SMALL, DISCOLORED PLANE THAT MATCHES NOAH'S DESCRIPTION. COULD THIS BE NOAH'S PLANE? AND IF IT IS, CAN THE TEAM CONFIRM THAT IT WAS BROUGHT DOWN BY AN UNIDENTIFIED OBJECT? >> WELL? >> IT WAS A PLANE, BUT IT WASN'T A CHEROKEE, THOUGH. >> HOW DO YOU KNOW? >> THE CARGO DOOR, PORT SIDE ON THE STERN. I THINK IT WAS A PIPER WARRIOR. IT'S THE NEXT SIZE UP. THE CHEROKEE DID NOT HAVE A CARGO DOOR. >> [BLEEP] >> Narrator: NOAH'S PLANE WAS A PIPER CHEROKEE, A LOW-WING, FOUR-PASSENGER AIRCRAFT. THE PLANE AT THIS LOCATION IS LARGER AND FEATURES A CARGO DOOR ON THE PORT STERN, A FEATURE NOT FOUND ON NOAH'S CHEROKEE. THE PLANE HAS SEEMINGLY VANISHED. >> WELL, THAT [BLEEP]. HOW MANY PLANE WRECKS ARE AROUND HERE, ANYWAY? >> WELL, IT'S POSSIBLE THAT IT'S DRIFTED DOWN... DOWN SLOPE. >> BACKS UP YOUR THEORY. >> AND THE PLANE WE'RE LOOKING FOR WENT IN 28 YEARS AGO, SO IT COULD HAVE DRIFTED EVEN FURTHER THAN THIS ONE. >> IT COULD BE QUITE A BIT DEEPER. >> WE FOUND<i> A</i> PLANE, BUT IT'S NOT NOAH'S PLANE. NOW, ACCORDING TO TED'S LAB SCIENCE, THE PLANE SHOULD HAVE MOVED RIGHT AROUND THIS AREA. THE PROBLEM IS, THE PLANE'S NOT HERE. SO MY QUESTION IS, WHERE IS THE PLANE? FOR ME, IT JUST DEEPENS THE U.S.O. MYSTERY AROUND CATALINA ISLAND. >> SO WHAT DO WE HAVE FOR OUR THEORIES? NUMBER ONE IS THAT THE PLANE HAS BEEN PUSHED UP ONTO THE SHORE AND DESTROYED. NUMBER TWO THEORY IS THAT BECAUSE OF THE WAVE MOTION, THE TIDE MOTION, THE WIND MOTION, IT'S BEEN AGITATED AND FALLEN DOWN THE SLOPE INTO THE DEPTHS. >> IF WE ARE CONSIDERING THAT THERE IS A U.S.O. BASE AROUND HERE, MAYBE THEY TOOK THE PLANE OR DID SOMETHING WITH THE PLANE TO HIDE THEIR PRESENCE. >> I DON'T THINK WE CAN CONFIRM OR... OR DENY THAT HYPOTHESIS. >> WELL, NOAH FELICE IS A VERY CREDIBLE WITNESS AND, I MEAN, I... I FEEL STRONGLY THAT SOMETHING HAPPENED HERE. SO I... I SAY WE CAN'T DISMISS THAT POSSIBILITY OF SOME SORT OF EXTRATERRESTRIAL INTERVENTION WITH HIS PLANE. >> Narrator: IN 1980, PILOT NOAH FELICE ASSERTS THAT HIS PLANE WAS ATTACKED BY A BEAM OF LIGHT THAT TOOK CONTROL OF HIS CRAFT AND CAUSED IT TO CRASH. THE TEAM WANTS TO KNOW, IS IT POSSIBLE THAT AN AIRCRAFT COULD BE DISABLED BY AN ELECTROMAGNETIC PULSE? >> THE SPECULATION IS THAT THIS U.S.O. SENT AN ELECTROMAGNETIC PULSE, OR AN E.M.P., AT THE AIRCRAFT, DISABLING IT, SO HE FOUND HIMSELF WITH NO POWER AND CRASHED. >> Narrator: THE TEAM MEETS AT TINDALL'S LAB TO TEST THIS HYPOTHESIS. >> THIS ONE'S GOING TO BE A LITTLE BIT DANGEROUS, BUT I THINK IT'S GOING TO GIVE US SOME AMAZING INSIGHT INTO THE CASE WITH NOAH FELICE AND THE U.S.O. WE'RE GOING TO SEE IF... IF OUR STRONG E.M.P. PULSE CAN DISABLE THE FUNCTION OF THE ENGINE. >> WE'VE TAKEN A VERY, VERY POWERFUL ELECTROMAGNET. TURN IT ON A LITTLE BIT THERE, JEFF. YOU CAN SEE IT HOLDS THE MAGNET. NOW LET... NOW TURN IT OFF. OKAY. THIS MAGNET IS... IS UNLIKE YOUR REGULAR MAGNETS, WHICH HAVE A NORTH AND SOUTH POLE AND THEY REMAIN THAT WAY. THIS MAGNET IS AN ALTERNATING CURRENT MAGNET, IT'S WORKING OFF THE A.C., AND IT'S FLUCTUATING BACK AND FORTH. NOW THAT MEANS WE CAN INDUCE CURRENT. THAT IS TO SAY WE CAN TAKE THIS MAGNETIC FIELD, PUT IT IN CLOSE PROXIMITY TO THIS STEAL BAR AND CAUSE THE ELECTRONS TO FLOW IN THAT WINDING, AND IT WILL LIGHT THIS LIGHT. OKAY, JEFF, TURN THAT BABY UP. THERE, YOU SEE THAT LIGHT COMING ON? >> THIS DEMONSTRATES HOW YOU CAN ACTUALLY CREATE AND CONTROL AND DIRECT A MAGNETIC FIELD AND APPLY THAT TO SOME OTHER OBJECT WITHOUT EVEN TOUCHING IT, YOU KNOW, FROM DISTANCE AND INDUCE AN ELECTRICAL CURRENT. >> Narrator: THE ELECTRICAL CURRENT USED TO RUN THE AIRPLANE ENGINE COULD HAVE BEEN INTERRUPTED BY A STRONG ELECTROMAGNETIC FORCE. IF THE REPORTS ARE TRUE AND THE OBJECT DID INDEED SHOOT A STRONG ELECTROMAGNETIC BEAM THAT ENGULFED NOAH'S PLANE, THAT BEAM COULD HAVE SHUT DOWN THE ENGINE. >> IN THE MAGNETO OF AN ENGINE, BASICALLY ON THE FLYWHEEL, YOU HAVE A PERMANENT MAGNET. AND WHAT HAPPENS IS, AS THE FLYWHEEL GOES AROUND, IT PASSES THROUGH THIS COIL AND GENERATES AN ELECTRICAL IMPULSE WHICH COMES UP TO THE SPARK PLUG AND FIRES THE ENGINE OFF. SO WHAT WE'RE GOING TO TRY TO DO NOW IS SEE IF WE CAN INDUCE A CURRENT THAT THIS ENGINE IS NOT COUNTING ON THAT'LL CAUSE THE SPARK TO DIE AND THE ENGINE TO DIE, AS WAS ALLEGED IN THE U.S.O. INCIDENT. >> WHAT WE WANT TO SEE IS THAT, IF WE CAN, FOR ALL INTENTS AND PURPOSES, MODEL AN AIRCRAFT ENGINE, GENERATE OUR OWN E.M.P., OR ELECTROMAGNETIC PULSE, AND DISABLE THE FUNCTION OF THE ENGINE. GUYS, THIS IS THE DANGEROUS PART, SO STAND BACK. WE HAVE AN E.M.P. GENERATOR, WHICH IS BASICALLY A HIGH- POWERED ELECTROMAGNET, AND WE HAVE AN ENGINE, AND WE WILL DIRECT THE MAGNETIC FIELD AT THE ENGINE AND SEE WHETHER OR NOT WE CAN DISABLE IT. >> CLEAR. >> CLEAR PROP. >> OKAY, JEFF. >> FULL. >> OKAY, CUT IT, JEFF. >> WOW. >> WOW! >> WELL, THAT DID IT. THIS WAS A SMALL DEMONSTRATION OF WHAT COULD HAVE HAPPENED AT A LARGER SCALE, BUT IT DID DEMONSTRATE THAT AS HE GOT THE MAGNET CLOSE IN, IT OVERPOWERED THE COIL HERE, DISRUPTED THE FLOW OF ELECTRONS TO THE SPARK PLUG AND DISABLED THE ENGINE. >> IT OCCURRED TO ME, IS THAT AIRPLANES, BECAUSE EVERYTHING IS LIGHTWEIGHT, NOT MUCH STEEL, NOT MUCH IRON USED, WHICH ARE THINGS THAT COULD DIFFUSE A MAGNETIC FIELD. SO, IF THERE WAS A MAGNETIC FIELD FOCUSED AT SAID AIRPLANE, IT WOULDN'T REALLY HAVE A WHOLE LOT STOPPING IT BEFORE IT DID GET TO THE MAGNETO OR WIRING. >> THAT'S TRUE. >> SO COULD YOU POSSIBLY INDUCE THROUGH THIS ELECTROMAGNETIC TOO MUCH ENERGY TO THE SPARK PLUG, POSSIBLY CAUSE IT TO DO SOMETHING? >> IF YOU COULD GENERATE AN EXTREMELY STRONG MAGNETIC FIELD, MAKE IT A DIRECTABLE SORT OF WEAPONIZED SYSTEM, IT IS CONCEIVABLE THAT YOU COULD DISABLE A GENERAL AVIATION AIRCRAFT ENGINE FROM A DISTANCE LIKE A THOUSAND FEET. >> THIS IS A REALLY GREAT EXAMPLE OF TAKING A STORY THAT'S TOLD BY ONE OF OUR WITNESSES, MODELING IT OUT AND SHOWING THAT WHAT HE SAYS WORKS IN THE LAB. >> I BELIEVE THAT THIS AREA IS... IS SOME KIND OF U.F.O. HOTSPOT BASED ON THE HIGHLY CREDIBLE WITNESS TESTIMONY ALONE. >> I THINK IT'S ALL MOSTLY ANECDOTAL EVIDENCE. IT'S TESTIMONY AND STORIES FROM PEOPLE. AND FRANKLY, WITHOUT FINDING THAT AIRCRAFT, I DON'T HAVE THE SCIENTIFIC EVIDENCE, THE MEAT THAT I CAN GET INTO, TO REALLY COME TO ANY KIND OF CONCLUSION. >> WELL, WHERE ARE YOU WITH PRESTON DENNETT'S THEORY, THAT THE U.S.O. ITSELF TOOK THE OBJECT? 'CAUSE THERE WERE TRACES OF THAT U.S.O. ON THE OBJECT. >> IF WE'RE TO BELIEVE THAT THEY INTERVENED IN NOAH FELICE'S CRASH, THEN WE CAN'T DENY THE POSSIBILITY THAT THEY INTERVENED AGAIN AND DID SOMETHING WITH THE PLANE. >> THE SCIENCE BEHIND U.S.O.s SAYS IT'S ENORMOUSLY POSSIBLE. OUR WITNESSES THAT WE'VE INTERVIEWED, PHENOMENALLY CREDIBLE-- IN FACT, THEIR STORIES ARE FRIGHTENING. WE HAVE DOCUMENTATION GOING ALL THE WAY BACK TO CHRISTOPHER COLUMBUS, AND FROM CHRISTOPHER COLUMBUS ALL THE WAY TO RECENT CALLS TO THE SHERIFF'S STATION UP IN LOST HILLS, THAT PEOPLE HAVE SEEN U.S.O.s. YOU PUT ALL THESE TOGETHER, AND I BELIEVE THAT U.S.O.s ARE REAL. I BELIEVE THEY'RE REAL. I BELIEVE THEY'RE OUT THERE. I BELIEVE THEY'RE HERE AND HAVE BEEN HERE FOR THOUSANDS OF YEARS. Captioning sponsored by A&E TELEVISION NETWORKS Captioned by Media Access Group at WGBH access.wgbh.org
