Unidentified Flying Objects: A History of UFO Sightings in Oklahoma

Look in the sky! Is it a bird? Is it a plane? No, it’s an unidentified flying object!

In the vast expanse of the universe, the possibility of extraterrestrial life has intrigued and mystified us for centuries. While skeptics remain steadfast, there are moments that make even the most ardent doubters question their beliefs.

A new app, Enigma, has surged in popularity since its December 2023 launch, charting UFO sightings across the globe, with a major uptick in sightings around the Sooner State. Featured on Vice, The Economist, The New Yorker, PBS, and The Scientific American, Enigma is the first community-driven and collaborative UFO / UAP database and app allowing users to upload their sightings and reports directly, visible to other users, for a “crowd-solving” experience.

Currently, Oklahoma is ranked in the Top 30 of states with the most UFO sightings. Thus far Enigma has collected over 300 reports directly from Oklahoma and nearly 3000 historical reports collected from other sources than can be viewed on the free app. Enigma’s Curated Sightings feed is updated daily, featuring trending reports from everyday people and credible witnesses-including pilots, veterans, and law enforcement. Users can also share their own UFO sightings through the app, contributing to the fastest growing community of skywatchers.

While New Mexico and Nevada are perhaps best known for UFO sightings, the National UFO Reporting Center data shows that the state with the most sightings is California, with more than 16,500 reports as of April 25, 2025. But what do the numbers look like in your metro area?

Read also: Most UFO Sightings by State

Stacker compiled a ranking of cities with the most UFO sightings in Oklahoma using data from the National UFO Reporting Center. Data encompasses all reports of UFO sightings dating back to 1995.

Those who believe they've seen something otherworldly can report it to the National UFO Reporting Center, which relies on volunteers to separate fact from fiction.

The government's official stance is that extraterrestrial life does not exist. But if the last century is any indicator, that will do little to curb America's alien obsession.

Since then, Americans have been uniquely fixated on the idea that aliens are somewhere in the sky above us-and the number who believe that to be true is growing. In 2019, a Gallup survey found that 33% of Americans believed some UFOs were alien spacecrafts, while 60% felt they could all be explained by human activity or some natural phenomenon. Just two years later, in 2021, 41% of respondents said they believed at least some UFOs were alien-related compared to 50% who were confident any sightings could be explained by human behavior or scientific events.

Just like it did in the 1950s amid Cold War paranoia, the lore of UFOs is also currently experiencing a resurgence as many Americans grow concerned about national security. The infamous Chinese spy balloon panic in 2023 and fears over being infiltrated by the Russian government have led to many reporting seeing UFOs in the sky. People are also mistaking the spike in Starlink satellites for extraterrestrial activity. In November 2024, the Pentagon announced that most reported sightings of unidentified anomalous phenomena (UAPs, as they're now known) can be attributed to balloons, drones, and other regular objects, while still noting that many objects lack a sufficient explanation.

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There are two main reasons that belief in aliens has become so prevalent in the United States: government hearings and pop culture. America's film industry has always been one of the most influential in the world, and a wave of science fiction films in the 1950s, like "The Day the Earth Stood Still" and "Invasion of the Body Snatchers," perpetuated the idea that there are other life-forms out there. The government has addressed the question of UFOs, only adding further speculation.

In April 2020, the Department of Defense released multiple videos filmed by military pilots that were thought to possibly capture UFOs. The military has been keeping important information on "nonhuman" sightings secret since the 1930s.

Notable UFO Sightings in History

Examining historical cases provides context for understanding the phenomenon of UFO sightings. Here are some well-known incidents:

• The Maury Island Incident (June 21, 1947): Reported before the sighting of the original flying saucers by Kenneth Arnold.
• Kenneth Arnold Sighting (June 24, 1947): Arnold reported seeing nine unusual objects flying in a chain near Mount Rainier, Washington.
• The Roswell UFO Incident (July 1947): The recovery of materials near Roswell, New Mexico, sparked intense speculation and research. The United States military maintains that what was recovered was a top-secret research balloon that had crashed, whereas many ufologists believe the wreckage was of a crashed alien craft.
• The Mantell Incident (January 7, 1948): Involved the crash and death of Captain Thomas F. Mantell while in pursuit of a UFO.
• The Chiles-Whitted UFO Encounter (July 24, 1948): Two American commercial pilots reported that their Douglas DC-3 had nearly collided with a strange torpedo-shaped object.
• The Mariana UFO Incident (Summer 1950): Occurred in Great Falls, Montana.
• 1952 Washington D.C. UFO incident: A series of unidentified flying object reports from July 13 to 29, 1952, over Washington, D.C.
• Sault Ste. Marie Incident (1953): Felix Moncla, Jr. was a United States Air Force pilot who disappeared with 2nd Lt. Robert Wilson while pursuing an unidentified flying object over Lake Superior.
• The Levelland UFO Case (November 2-3, 1957): Occurred in Levelland, Texas.
• Betty and Barney Hill Abduction (September 19-20, 1961): Betty and Barney Hill claimed to have been abducted by extraterrestrials
• The Exeter Incident (September 3, 1965): Occurred in Exeter, New Hampshire.
• The Kecksburg UFO Incident (December 9, 1965): Local residents reported seeing a reddish fireball approximately 500 to 600 feet in the air falling straight down and disappearing behind trees, followed by a flash of bluish-white light suggesting an impact. The fire department was called to extinguish a grass fire where it recovered molten metal.
• Jimmy Carter's Sighting (1969): Jimmy Carter claimed that he had seen a UFO.
• Travis Walton Abduction (November 5, 1975): Travis Walton claims to have been abducted by a UFO while working on a logging crew in Arizona.
• Val Johnson Incident (August 1979): In Marshall County, Minnesota, Deputy Sheriff Val Johnson was on duty and driving close to the North Dakota border when his patrol car was struck by a blinding ball of light.
• The Cash-Landrum Incident (1980): A reported UFO sighting in 1980, after which witnesses claimed damage to their health.
• The Phoenix Lights (March 13, 1997): A series of optical phenomena observed over Arizona and Nevada.
• The "St. Clair Triangle" (January 5, 2000): Five on-duty Illinois police officers in separate locales, along with various other witnesses, sighted and reported a massive, silent, triangular aircraft operating at an unusual range of near-hover to incredible high speed at treetop altitudes.
• Tinley Park Lights (Late 2004 and Early 2005): A triangular formation of reddish lights were seen at low to intermediate altitude by hundreds of witnesses, on three separate occasions in late 2004 and early 2005, producing multiple videos, photos, and mainstream local news coverage over two suburbs of Chicago, Illinois. The object(s) maneuvered slowly within a busy airspace near O'Hare International Airport.
• Morristown UFO Hoax (January 5, 2009): Five unidentified red objects were seen over Morristown, New Jersey.
• American Airlines Flight 2292 (February 21, 2021): A pilot, at an altitude of 37,000 feet (11,278 m) reported seeing a long cylindrical object that almost looked like a "cruise missile type of thing" moving really fast right over the top of them according to published audio.

The Ardmore Incident: A Credible Encounter

One such moment occurred on May 26, 2017, when Joey Franko, a resident of Ardmore, Oklahoma, witnessed a breathtaking and inexplicable event that left him both scared and excited. This UFO sighting, captured on video, has since gained recognition as one of the most credible encounters in history. The History Channel even dedicated a special segment to this extraordinary incident, solidifying its status as a true enigma.

Ardmore is a tranquil town known for its picturesque landscapes and warm Southern hospitality. However, on one fateful night five years ago, this peaceful community would become the epicenter of a mind-bending encounter that would forever etch Ardmore's name into the annals of UFO history.

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Joey Franko was a regular resident of Ardmore until that fateful night when he decided to scan the skies with a thermal camera. Franko had an unwavering curiosity about the possibility of life beyond our planet, and he was determined to capture evidence of it on video. Little did he know that his quest for the unknown would lead to an unforgettable encounter.

As Franko scanned the night sky, he spotted something that defied all logical explanation. A strange disc-like object hovered eerily above his home. The object was unlike anything he had ever seen before. It danced near the clouds, moving with deliberate intent as if it were under intelligent control.

As if the mere sight of this enigmatic object wasn't bewildering enough, Joey Franko took a bold step. He pointed a laser at the hovering UFO, and to his astonishment, the object ceased its movements. Fear and excitement coursed through him simultaneously as he realized that he had made contact with something otherworldly.

The incredible encounter didn't stop there. In the blink of an eye, the unidentified object accelerated to a staggering speed of approximately 1,000 miles per hour and shot off into the night sky, disappearing from sight. Franko was left in awe, struggling to comprehend the extraordinary events that had just unfolded before him.

Joey Franko's experience was so astounding that it attracted the attention of experts in the field of ufology. Their analysis and investigations supported Franko's claims, adding further credibility to this remarkable UFO sighting. The History Channel recognized the significance of this event and dedicated a special program to delve deeper into the mystery surrounding the Ardmore sighting.

The UFO sighting in Ardmore, Oklahoma, on that unforgettable night in 2017, remains an enduring mystery that captivates our imagination and challenges our understanding of the cosmos. Joey Franko's encounter, supported by expert analysis and even documented by the History Channel, stands as one of the most credible UFO sightings in history. It serves as a reminder that in the vast expanse of the universe, there are still unexplained phenomena that continue to fascinate and intrigue us, beckoning us to explore the uncharted territories of the unknown.

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