File 6979 · August 12, 1983, early morning
Alfred Burtoo Canal Encounter
Aldershot, Hampshire, United Kingdom
Opened 9/5/2026 · Revised 9/11/2026
Sighting photograph. Image pulled from the public post. — UFO Evidence / Timothy Good
Standing
Unidentified
On the public record, and still open. A claim, paper, or film — not a finding that it was ours, and not a finding that it was not.
Local newspaper coverage; investigated by Omar Fowler and Timothy Good; witness provided consistent sketches and interviews.
What was claimed
While night fishing on the Basingstoke Canal, 77-year-old Alfred Burtoo saw a disc-shaped object land nearby. Two small humanoid figures in green suits and helmets with black visors approached, gestured for him to follow, and led him aboard. After examining him under a light, they stated he was too old and released him.
What is on the record
This file is a working record — a report, not a verdict. Official paper, if any, is linked where we have it.
In the early hours of August 12, 1983, Alfred Burtoo, a 77-year-old retired soldier, was fishing alone (with his dog Tiny) along the isolated Basingstoke Canal near Aldershot, Hampshire. He observed a brilliant light descend and land on the towpath. Initially dismissing it as a helicopter from the nearby Ministry of Defence site, he continued fishing until his dog began whining. Two figures, each about 4.5 feet tall, dressed in pale green one-piece coveralls with matching helmets featuring blacked-out visors, approached him. They gestured for him to follow them up a stairway into the landed disc-shaped craft. Inside, he was positioned under an amber light while the beings, who spoke in broken English, examined him and stated that he was too old and infirm for their purposes. They then escorted him out. The craft departed. Burtoo reported the encounter to investigators including Timothy Good; he maintained his sincerity in interviews and sketches. The case was covered in the local press (Aldershot News) and ufological literature.
Could this have been ours?
The known sky, that night.
Satellites were already up. The station was not. Starlink was not.
Always
Aircraft, balloons, meteors
Landing lights, flares, lanterns, reentries, fireballs. They are on the known sky. They do not close a file by themselves — they are what a serious look has to hold the claim against.
The known sky
None of the above land
Stations, trains, and planets do not set down in a field or leave a body. This file is a ground report. The known sky still has to be named. It does not answer the claim.
Orbit · Space — the desks for lights that are already named.
Sources
Related files
Same craft, same place, same years. A neighbor in the catalogue — not a conclusion.
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