Project Blue Book Case File
Elko, NevadaMay 1949
Summary
At approximately 10:15 a.m. on May 2, 1949, a Civil Aeronautics Administration radio operator in Elko, Nevada was working on his car in his front yard when he glanced north and spotted three objects in an inverted V formation flying southwest. To his naked eye, each object appeared about one-quarter inch across. Based on his familiarity with aircraft, he estimated them to be roughly thirty feet in diameter, flying at about five miles north of town, at an altitude of 14,000 feet, and traveling at 250 to 300 miles per hour. The objects appeared metallic with an oxidized aluminum look and completely solid, with no visible exhaust, vapor trails, projections, or sound.
The objects remained in sight for approximately two minutes. When the observer went inside to fetch binoculars, the three objects turned left toward a more southerly direction. As they turned, all three tilted at a sharp angle, appearing extremely thin and flat. They then seemed to accelerate and disappeared from view. The observer could not relocate them with either the binoculars or his naked eye.
The Air Force Office of Special Investigations interviewed the observer on May 13, 1949. Personnel records showed he had worked for the Civil Aeronautics Administration since 1941 and held a valid pilot's radio operator license. References from colleagues described him as dependable, truthful, and someone who did not drink or use narcotics. A physical examination found no abnormalities and no derogatory information appeared in law enforcement records. The interviewer noted the observer seemed sincere, though his description of the objects' size at the stated viewing distance raised questions about possible influence from magazine articles or radio reports on the topic, which the observer denied.
The Air Force reviewed weather conditions at Elko that morning, finding clear skies with visibility of thirty miles or greater, and consulted communication files that identified four aircraft in the vicinity. All but one had been contacted by radio, and their pilots reported seeing nothing unusual. The file says the Air Force evaluation of this case was unknown. The full case file is reproduced below as held by the National Archives, 23 pages.
Reported location
Elko, Nevada
Date of incident
May 1949
State / country
NV / US
Page count
23 scanned pages
USAF evaluation
unknown
Microfilm
T1206, Roll 5