A sighting and photograph of the underside of a UFO over the skies of Grangemouth in Scotland in the winter of 1991 is perhaps one of the better pictures of a UFO in recent history. What’s more, it is an encounter that fits in nicely with the wealth of other sightings within this particular area.

The incident would unfold close to the Polmont Reservoir, which once again pushes in front of us the connection of water and UFO sightings. What’s more, there are oil refineries within the region, as well as several military bases. Any of these could prove to be a point of interest or importance.

Furthermore, as we will explore later, there is perhaps a connection to be made with the alleged Falkirk Triangle, an area of Scotland that Grangemouth sits within. And an area that is seemingly home to increased UFO activity, as well as a mountain of other paranormal encounters. Indeed, it is not a reach to say the region is one of the most intriguing sections of land in the world.

The account and investigation come to us from Malcolm Robinson and the files of Strange Phenomena Investigations (SPI). In previous accounts, the main witness used the pseudonym of Peter Muir. However, in the years that would follow he would use his real name, Phil Trevis. It is this name that we will use throughout. We will, however, will use the accompanying witness’s pseudonym. Incidentally, it is Trevis who would take the above picture in question.

Shooting Photographs Near The Polmont Reservoir

Phil Trevis and Paul Penman were taking photographs near the British Petroleum (BP) chemicals plant in Grangemouth for a project (named Light and Dark) on the evening of 12th November 1991 when they would notice something out of the ordinary above them. It was around 9:30 pm when the pair noticed “two small dim flashing lights” near the “flashing pylons” located close to a nearby bridge.

The two men watched the lights as they moved across the sky and toward the Grangemouth Stadium, itself lit up brightly. As they watched the object hovering over the stadium, they suddenly realized that there was no sound whatsoever coming from it. This eliminated any idea that the lights belonged to the underside of a helicopter.

Then, the object changed direction once again, only this time, it was heading toward them.

The object appeared to be approximately 2000 feet from the ground when it started out in their direction. However, it would suddenly drop its altitude as it sped up dramatically. As the object was almost directly above them, Travis would capture the photograph famous in UFO circles. He would estimate that it was only around 200 to 300 feet above them when he did so.

As it passed over them they could hear a “light pulsing hum” which appeared to emanate from the craft. Although both men were “quite shaken” in the immediate moments following the incident, they both would experience an “overwhelming sense of excitement” shortly after.

Following the encounter, the two men would make their report of the incident to SPI.

No Other Aircraft In The Protected Airspace

SPI would conduct the investigation into the incident. No other aircraft was in the vicinity on the night in question. It is also perhaps worth noting that the airspace over the BP plant is protected. This means that authorization is required to pass over the area.

In light of this, they would contact the BP plant. They enquired if the object might have been one of their small aircraft. One that might have been patrolling the immediate area around the plant. However, the plant would state that the strange object, whatever it was, was not anything they had sent into the skies overhead.

Trevis would later explain how he had to “bend over backward” in order to capture the photograph. Indeed, this gives the picture a unique perspective, and almost shows it concave. What’s more, because the incident took place at night, the bright light on the object creates a “halo effect”.

Perhaps of most importance, though, was the summing up of the incident by Robinson himself. He would claim that not only the description but the picture itself was “consistent with what was being sighted” in the region at the time. In short, it would appear the incident over Grangemouth is most certainly credible.

Is The Falkirk Triangle Real?

We have examined on several occasions how active Scotland is in terms of UFO activity. For example, the areas in and around Bonnybridge would experience a particularly active period between 1992 and 1994, only a year after the Grangemouth sighting.

What’s more, another very similar sightings would occur over the Grangemouth oil refinery in 1994. On that occasion, an entire unit of cleaners from the facility would witness the strange lights overhead. The glowing orb-like objects would dance around the sky for several moments.

We have also looked at the 1996 UFO wave which took place in the Falkirk region of the country. Indeed, many UFO researchers believe Falkirk – which is only several miles from Grangemouth – to be part of a triangular region of increased activity. It is perhaps interesting to note that one of the other points of this triangle is Bonnybridge.

Might it be that something resides within these triangular boundaries that attracts these strange aerial anomalies? Might some kind of naturally occurring portal or gateway open there, allowing these strange crafts to pass into our world? Or might there even be an extraterrestrial base within the region? These are most certainly outlandish notions, no doubt. Only further study and focus on the strange activities in the region, both from the past and in our contemporary age will bring forth further clues.

Another incident from 1997 might cast a little more light on UFO activity in the region.

The 1997 Black Triangle Incident

A sighting that occurred the year following the 1996 Falkirk wave is worthy of our consideration here. Not least as it featured multiple witnesses of a strange object within the parameters of the alleged triangle mentioned above.

On the 6th of July 1997, at around 6:30 pm, four anonymous friends were traveling in a car just outside of Stirling when they noticed a “strange object” moving overhead around 100 feet from the ground (much like the Grangemouth sighting). The main witness was the passenger in the front seat of the vehicle. They would estimate the object was around the size of a small two-seater airplane.

As they passed underneath the object, they could see it was “very flat” and a definite triangular shape. What’s more, the entire craft was a jet-black color with no symbols or other identifying markings on its exterior. Even stranger, the object didn’t appear to make any noise whatsoever. Nor was there any obvious means of propulsion.

It was as they were moving underneath the object that they realized how slow it was actually moving. In fact, within a minute they had passed so far ahead of it that they could no longer see it. The witness, however, would recall their car was not the only vehicle on the M9 (M80) motorway at the time. And with that in mind, “many others must have seen” the strange craft also.

The incident remains unexplained. However, it surely is not a coincidence that such a strange craft was spotted in the same region as the other sightings we have explored here. And if there is a connection between them, might it be that the lights witnessed over the oil refineries were actually the underside lights of these mysterious triangular crafts.

Why Does Scotland Have So Many UFO Sightings?

Whatever the reasons might be, Scotland does appear to experience – for its size – a higher number of UFO accounts than some other European countries. And while sightings in the region are not at the level they reached during the early to mid-nineties, they continue to occur today. Might clues and unnoticed details from these previous accounts help unlock the secrets of the UFO and alien question?

What should we make also of the rich history of Scottish folklore and legend? If we were to study such writings more closely might we find a connection to UFO sightings throughout history? After all, we have examined the strange accounts that surround Rosslyn Chapel (which also sits near the region). There are not only UFO sightings over the old medieval building but claims of otherworldly incidents involving other dimensions.

It is most certainly a part of the world that would appear to be of importance in unlocking some of the mysteries of our reality. Whether sightings in Scotland ever reach the levels they did at the time of the Grangemouth incident and the waves of sightings that followed it remains to be seen. However, it is without a doubt an area that UFO researchers and enthusiasts need to keep at least half an eye on.

Check out the video below. It looks at UFO sightings in Scotland.