KIRTLAND AFB, NEW MEXICOJuly 1952

On July 30, 1952, at 11:15 p.m. MST, a young boy in Albuquerque, New Mexico saw a bright white circular object traveling from east to west at varying speeds. The object appeared to be round and about the size of a star. The boy watched it for roughly 30 seconds before it disappeared into cloud cover.

The Air Force's investigation noted that the observer was fifteen years old, which raised questions about the reliability of the sighting. The object showed no visible exhaust trail, made no sound, and moved at extreme speed in a very erratic course. An F-86 fighter was in the landing pattern at Kirtland Air Force Base at the time of the observation, but the pilot did not report seeing anything unusual. Weather conditions at the time included scattered clouds at 2,200 feet, broken clouds at 22,200 feet, visibility of six to seven miles, and winds varying by altitude.

The Air Force investigation included weather data from nearby locations and notes about military aircraft activity in the area. However, the case file reveals that most observations came from a single young witness whose experience with aviation was unknown. No radar contact was made with the object, and no photographs were taken.

The file also contained reports of related sightings in the Albuquerque area on the same dates, including observations from military personnel at the 135th ACW Squadron at Continental Divide, New Mexico, roughly fifty miles away. Those observers reported seeing a glowing object that hovered briefly before moving slowly in a flat circle before accelerating to approximately 200 knots and disappearing to the north. The 135th ACW Squadron observers had radar contact with an unidentified target at the time of their sighting.

After reviewing all available evidence, the Air Force classified this case as unidentified. The full case file is reproduced below as held by the National Archives, comprising 191 pages.