Los Angeles, CaliforniaApril 1949

On April 8, 1949, at around 1400 (2:00 p.m.), three city employees in the Los Angeles area observed an unusual object in the sky. The witnesses worked for the City Park and Recreation Department and were in the Glendale area near Griffith Park when they noticed what they described as a metallic, disc-shaped craft flying overhead. The day was clear with excellent visibility.

The object appeared to be aluminum-colored and reflected sunlight. The witnesses described it as flat and round, thick in the center and tapering to thin edges, like a convex lens. One observer estimated it was about the size of a dime held at arm's length. The object moved from east to northwest at a height the witnesses estimated between 70 and 75 degrees above the horizon. They watched it for roughly 30 seconds as it traveled across an arc of about 160 degrees, covering that distance in approximately 35 seconds. The speed was estimated as faster than a jet aircraft. The witnesses said it left a very thin, dark trail that disappeared almost immediately.

The three observers disagreed on a few details. One said the object appeared to be rotating and that he saw between one and four tube-like projections sticking up from its upper surface. Another witness saw no trail and thought the object rotated counterclockwise, like a spinning coin. The third witness also observed rotation, but described it as tumbling end-over-end like a flipped coin, and denied seeing any projections at all. All three agreed on the object's size, color, shape, altitude, direction of flight, and the time it remained visible. The object disappeared as it passed over a hill to the northwest.

The Air Force's Office of Special Investigations interviewed all three witnesses in May 1949. They were local employees considered reliable and trustworthy, though they had varying levels of formal education. The investigation found no military or civilian aircraft had been scheduled to fly over the area at that time. Checks with local military units, California Institute of Technology, and the University of Southern California revealed that no aircraft or testing device had been released in the area. The file concludes with these negative findings, offering no explanation for what the witnesses saw. The case was marked unidentified by the Air Force.

The full case file is reproduced below as held by the National Archives in 8 pages.