Project Blue Book Case File
Altoona, Pa., July 1948 - Incident Number: [ILLEGIBLE]July 1948
Summary
On July 24, 1948, at about 0245 (2:45 a.m.), a civilian in Altoona, Pennsylvania reported a single object moving to the southeast. The witness said it made a swishing sound and stayed in view for about 8 to 10 seconds. The Air Force recorded the report on an incident card, but the card does not include legible entries for the object's speed, altitude, or a final conclusion.
The case file also includes a newspaper clipping from late July 1948, during a national wave of flying disc reports. One article describes air traffic controllers at the Yakima, Washington airport who twice watched a silvery, moon-sized object wheel across the sky. A second article covers two Eastern Air Lines pilots, Captain C. S. Chiles and co-pilot John Whitted, who reported a large, wingless, flame-shooting object near Montgomery, Alabama. The clippings were filed alongside the Altoona report as contemporary sightings.
Reported location
Altoona, Pa., July 1948 - Incident Number: [ILLEGIBLE]
Date of incident
July 1948
State / country
? / XX
Page count
2 scanned pages
USAF evaluation
unknown
Microfilm
T1206, Roll 2