1240 3'E, 12 DEG 52'N Philipines, April 1948 - Incident Number: 111April 1948

On April 1, 1948, at 9:55 a.m., First Lieutenant Robert W. Meyers was leading a flight of four P-47 fighter aircraft over the central Philippines when he spotted an unidentified object about three miles ahead of his position. The object was flying at roughly 1,000 feet altitude while Meyers was at 1,500 feet. He described it as silver-colored and shaped like a half-moon or flying wing, with a faint dorsal fin (a ridge-like structure on the back). He estimated it was about 30 feet wide and 20 feet long.

Meyers immediately banked left to intercept the object and get a better look. The object responded by making a sharp left turn, then leveling out on a heading of 270 degrees (due west). It then accelerated rapidly and vanished from sight in roughly five seconds. Meyers heard no sound and saw no exhaust trails. His radio was out during the sighting, so he could not alert his three wingmen. Because they were maneuvering in their own turn at the time, they did not see the object either.

The Air Force investigators noted that Meyers was a reliable, calm pilot who seemed confident in his account. However, the file pointed out that at a distance of three miles, an object only 20 feet long would be extremely difficult to see clearly, even with binoculars. The object would have had to be much larger than Meyers estimated for him to make out its shape and details. An astronomer consulted on the case ruled out any celestial explanation. The Far East Air Forces headquarters concluded the object was probably a bird, though the file offers no detailed reasoning for that conclusion.

The full case file, comprising 9 pages, is reproduced below as held by the National Archives.