McClellan AFB, CaliforniaMarch 1951

Unidentified

Summary

On March 13, 1951, near McClellan Air Force Base, California, an Air Force officer and his wife reported a strange object at about 1520 (3:20 p.m.). While driving on a road near the base, the lieutenant stopped his car to look at an object hovering in the direction of Sacramento, about seven miles away.

He described it as round, about 200 feet in diameter and 90 feet deep, cylindrical, white, with what looked like twin tails. He estimated its altitude at about 2,000 feet. After he watched it, the object turned to the north and moved away at great speed without sound or trails, shrinking to a speck and then vanishing in less than a minute. The whole sighting lasted about two minutes. His wife confirmed his account.

The weather was clear with light winds and unlimited visibility. The Air Force recorded the case in Project 10073, its official file for unidentified flying object reports. Investigators thought the object might have been a balloon launch, but because the duration was short and no launch data was included, the case was carried as unidentified.

Reported location

McClellan AFB, California

Date of incident

March 1951

State / country

CA / US

Page count

3 scanned pages

USAF evaluation

unidentified

Microfilm

T1206, Roll 8

Original case file scans

Original case file · scanned by NARAPage 1 of 3

View transcribed text

; PROJECT 10073 RECORD CARD
1. DATE - 2. LOCATION 12. CONCLUSIONS AEG
13 March 1951 McClellan AFB, California 0D Was Balloon
ERE Rl pe 0 Probably Bolloen
3. DATE-TIME GRAUE 4. TYPE OF OBSERVATION ~~] 0 Possibly Balloon
EE — WHround- Visual 0 Ground-Redor - x Aircraft
robably Aircroft .
oMT 13/23202 0 Air Visual O Air-Intercept Radar |O Possibly Aircraft
POW ee eR AE GR AR FT (8) Vas Astronamic of
QO Yes (3 Probobly Astrencmicol
Military & Civilian 0 Possibly Astrenomicol
7. LENGTH OF OBSERVATION 8. NUMBER OF OBJECTS | 9. COURSE |O Other UNIDENTIFIED,
@] ao for Evoluati
2 minutes, one Rising to N |g al be cone
10. BRIEF SUMMARY OF SIGHTING 11. COMMENTS aa:
Witness sighted object from car, Stopped c Possibility exists that object was ¢
and viewed object described as round, abou launch, however the report did not
200 ft in diamebbr, cylindrical and had + contain launch data from the Air Bas
white tails attached, Object hovering, Estimated adjacent to sighting. Duration shart
altitude at 2,000 ft, Object tumed in a Ndrtherly for balleri, 411 other data indicates
direction and moved at incredible speed, that this was a balloon observatign,
becoming a speck in about 1 minute, Total dighting However since the duzation was shdrt
lasted about 2 minutes, No A/C in vicinity [of and launch data not included the
| object, No reflection from sun on the objeqt, case is carried as UNIDENTIFIED,
ATIC FORM 329 (REV 26 SEP 82)
p

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Source: National Archives Catalog · NAID 28939161