Albuquerque, New MexicoSeptember 1961

On the evening of September 2, 1961, a man in northeast Albuquerque, New Mexico, was reclining in a lounge chair at his home when he spotted something unusual in the sky. He saw what he described as a round, silvery object that looked like the reflection of sunlight bouncing off a shiny surface. The object moved erratically from west to east across the sky for about ten minutes before fading from view toward the south.

During its flight, the object did something peculiar. Twice, at two different positions in the sky, it appeared to emit several smaller silvery objects, each about one-sixth the size of the main object. When these smaller objects were released, the main object seemed to become momentarily motionless. The smaller objects eventually disappeared from sight as well.

The Air Force's investigation focused on a weather explanation. An officer from Kirtland Air Force Base, Major Virgil O. Hall, noted that unusual atmospheric conditions existed that evening. A temperature inversion (a layer of warm air trapped below cooler air) of 3 degrees existed between 16,000 and 18,000 feet. The officer theorized that sunlight reflecting off water, possibly from Elephant Butte Lake 138 miles to the south, could have been reflected again by this inversion layer, creating the silvery appearance and the illusion of movement. The report states that investigators suspected the sighting was "inversion reflection."

The witness was described as having good reliability and claiming 20/20 vision. No other witnesses were located. The full case file, consisting of 10 pages, is reproduced below as held by the National Archives.