Davis-Mountain AFB, Tucson, ArizonaAugust 1949

On August 26, 1949, at 1245 (12:45 p.m.), an officer at Davis-Monthan Air Force Base in Tucson, Arizona watched a standard weather balloon launch. As the balloon rose to approximately 40,000 feet, his attention shifted to a different object moving in the opposite direction. This object appeared to be triangular with rounded edges, brownish and hazy in color, and flying northwestward at what he judged to be extreme speed.

The officer watched the object for about 60 seconds as it traveled roughly eight miles across the sky. The object moved in a straight line at a constant altitude with no visible trail, no sound, and no signs of exhaust. He tried to point it out to colleagues standing nearby, but none could see it. The object gradually faded from view. Based on his estimates, it was flying at approximately 50,000 feet and moving at speeds the investigator calculated to be around 800 miles per hour.

An Air Force investigator interviewed the observer on September 1, 1949. The officer was found to be experienced, intelligent, and reliable, with training as a weather observer that made him an unusually credible witness. The investigator checked for explanations. Radar stations in the area had not detected the object. No aircraft were known to be flying over the base at that time. The only craft thought to be anywhere in the region was an experimental delta-wing interceptor being tested at Lemoore Air Force Base in California, and the observer noted the object's shape was similar to a triangle with rounded edges.

No other witnesses came forward. The weather conditions were clear, which helped the observer see high-altitude objects. After completing these checks, the Air Force's formal conclusion was that the sighting remained unidentified. The full case file, including a terrain map and the observer's signed statement, is reproduced below as held by the National Archives in 10 pages.