Camp Hood, TexasApril 1949

On the evening of April 27, 1949, soldiers stationed at Camp Hood, Texas witnessed an unusual aerial object. The first sighting occurred at 9:20 p.m. (2120) when four Army personnel, including Lieutenant Howard Kitterman, spotted a dull violet, round object near Guard Post Number 1. The object appeared roughly the size of a fifty-cent piece and hovered about six to seven feet above the ground, positioned approximately ten to twelve feet away. It had what observers described as a cone-shaped projection on its rear, about three or four inches long. The light blinked on and off at regular intervals. After standing still initially, the object suddenly accelerated to very high speed and executed a sharp 180-degree turn while maintaining the same altitude. The entire sighting lasted roughly 60 seconds before the light went out.

A second incident followed within minutes. At 9:35 p.m. (2135), two additional soldiers observed a bright white, round object near Ivy Gap Road between road junctions 206 and 208. The object appeared about the size of a baseball and glowed with brightness but no glare. It was first spotted about 200 yards away at an altitude of six or seven feet, traveling on a bearing of approximately 220 degrees (roughly southwest). The object traveled at extremely high speed and made a 180-degree arc before vanishing about 50 yards from the observers. One detail noted in the report mentioned the object passing through the forks of a tree before disappearing. This sighting lasted 30 to 40 seconds.

The Air Force investigation found no aircraft flight schedules matching the time, no weather balloon releases, and no other conventional explanation. No photographs, physical evidence, or signed statements were obtained. Weather conditions had been rainy earlier but cleared somewhat by the time of the sightings. The Air Force concluded the sightings were unidentified. The full case file, reproduced below as held by the National Archives, consists of 10 pages.