The Aurora Texas UFO Crash

On April 17, 1897, during the great airship wave sweeping America, the small town of Aurora, Texas allegedly experienced something extraordinary: an airship crash that reportedly killed its non-human pilot.

The Account

According to the Dallas Morning News:

• An airship struck Judge Proctor’s windmill
• The craft exploded
• Debris scattered across the property
• A small pilot was found dead
• The being was “not of this world”

The Pilot

The newspaper described:

• A small humanoid body
• “Not an inhabitant of this world”
• Given a Christian burial
• Interred in the Aurora cemetery
• Papers found with hieroglyphic writing

The Wreckage

Reportedly found:

• Metal debris
• Strange writing or symbols
• Material that couldn’t be identified
• Pieces scattered widely

The 1896-97 Airship Wave

Context for the event:

• Mysterious airships reported across America
• Sightings from California to the Midwest
• Various explanations proposed
• Pre-Wright Brothers era

Later Investigations

Researchers have:

• Attempted to locate the grave
• Used metal detectors on the property
• Interviewed descendants
• Found conflicting evidence

Skeptical Views

Doubts include:

• The reporter may have fabricated the story
• Aurora was struggling economically
• No physical evidence survives
• The story wasn’t widely reported at the time

The Cemetery

Investigations revealed:

• A small unmarked grave exists
• Metal detector readings are inconclusive
• The town resists excavation
• A historical marker was placed

Significance

The Aurora case is notable for:

• Being one of the earliest “crash retrieval” stories
• Predating Roswell by 50 years
• Occurring during the airship wave
• Persistent local tradition

Legacy

Whether hoax or genuine encounter, the Aurora crash remains one of the most intriguing pre-modern UFO cases and demonstrates that stories of crashed craft and alien bodies long predate the modern UFO era.