Ladd AFB, AlaskaFebruary 1951

On February 26, 1951, an airman standing guard duty at Ladd Air Force Base in Alaska reported seeing an unusual object hovering over the base. The airman said the object looked oblong, roughly 10 to 12 feet thick and 120 feet across, with a dull gray metallic color. It hovered silently for approximately 45 seconds at an altitude of about 18,000 feet, then emitted a single puff of white smoke and moved rapidly to the south, disappearing within about a minute and a half of total observation time.

The sighting occurred during weather conditions that included light snow, visibility of about 1.5 miles, and a ceiling of 500 feet. The Air Force checked local radar records, weather stations, and military installations. No aircraft were in the air at that time, and no weather balloons had been released from the area. Radar did not record the object. An inspection of the facility found no unusual project work or test firing that could explain the sighting.

A separate investigation by Air Force intelligence confirmed the details and noted that the observer was trained, had good eyesight, and appeared credible. However, the investigation concluded that no other personnel witnessed the object despite efforts to corroborate the account.

The file also contains unrelated material concerning unidentified radar tracks from late February 1951 that were evaluated as possible Soviet aircraft, and some reports involving photographs that were ultimately assessed as likely airplane models. These materials do not directly concern the Ladd base sighting itself.

The Air Force concluded in 1951 that the sighting remained unidentified. The full case file is reproduced below as held by the National Archives, consisting of 23 pages.