Between Cortez And Braderton, Fla, January 1949 - Incident Number: 252January 1949

On January 27, 1949, an Air Force captain and his wife observed an unusual flying object over the Gulf of Mexico between Cortez and Bradenton, Florida. The sighting lasted between 25 and 30 minutes and occurred around 2220 hours (10:20 p.m.). The observers watched the object through 7x50 binoculars from the ground, approximately 8 to 10 miles away.

The object appeared to be a horizontal row of brightly lit windows. Its shape resembled a cucumber, though the witnesses acknowledged the darkness made this identification uncertain. The object's color was indistinguishable except for the brilliant light from what looked like windows. It was roughly the length of two Pullman railroad cars and flew at an estimated speed of 400 miles per hour.

During the first observation, the object climbed from about 8,000 feet to higher altitudes. During a second sighting approximately seven minutes later, the object flew with more erratic movement, bouncing in climbs of roughly 2,000 feet followed by rapid descents of approximately 4,000 feet. Overall, it climbed to around 40,000 feet before disappearing from view. The witnesses also observed sparks and flames that were brighter than V-1 exhaust and described them as pale red in color. These sparks pulsated at roughly one-quarter-second intervals and appeared to follow an irregular pattern, somewhat like an inverted "V" shape with sides at a 30-degree angle.

The witnesses reported no sound and saw no exhaust trail. After the object was lost to sight, the captain resumed driving and heard other people the next morning discussing "flying discs," though he could not determine whether they were referring to his sighting. The interrogating officer noted that the observer was mature and serious, and had apparently reviewed all aspects of his observations before reporting them.

The full case file, comprising 21 pages, is reproduced below as held by the National Archives.