McMinnville UFO photographs

The McMinnville UFO photographs were taken on a farm near McMinnville, Oregon, United States, in 1950. The photos were reprinted in Life magazine and in newspapers across the United States, and are often considered to be among the most famous ever taken of an alleged UFO. Experts have concluded that the photos are a hoax, but many conspiracy theorists continue to argue that the photos are genuine, and show an unidentified object in the sky.

For some ufologists, the photographs depict a metallic-looking artifact, discoidal in shape, several tens of meters in diameter, located about a kilometer from the lens and moving across the sky from northeast to west, as Trent recounted in his story.

All scientists who have examined the prints and negatives agree that they have not been falsified or retouched, and all scientific studies and analyses have concluded that the photographs show a scale model or similar object, of small size, suspended from an overhead power line close to the lens. The most recent analyses highlight the existence, with an extremely high probability, of a suspension thread.

Until his death in 1998, Paul Trent always defended the sincerity of his account. His testimony is confirmed by Evelyn, his wife, who was present at his side at the time.

A festival dedicated to UFOs was created in McMinnville in 1999. After that of Roswell, it is the most attended in the United States.