Nampa, IdahoJuly 1949

On the morning of July 30, 1949, an assistant biologist for the Idaho Fish and Game Department was driving east on Highway 30, about six miles outside Nampa, Idaho. At 10:12 a.m., he was scanning nearby fields for pheasants when he spotted something unusual in the sky. He saw a bluish object with a rose-colored reflection, angled about 45 degrees above the horizon and moving due west at roughly 500 miles per hour.

The observer described the object as roughly the size of a small Piper Cub airplane, with a smooth, even surface and one-piece construction. Within seconds of spotting it, the object made a sharp U-turn and looped upward, reversing direction to head due east at a higher altitude. As it did, the observer noted that the object appeared to turn on edge and fade rapidly from view, like watching a knife blade disappear when turned sideways. The entire sighting lasted only about two seconds. The observer heard no engine noise and saw no exhaust.

The weather conditions at the time were clear. The temperature was around 80 degrees Fahrenheit, with no wind. The observer immediately stopped his truck, tried unsuccessfully to locate the object again, then drove into Nampa and reported the sighting to the Nampa Free Press newspaper. In a written statement submitted to authorities, he emphasized that the object was not any conventional aircraft.

The Air Force Office of Special Investigations received a telephone call about the sighting on July 31, 1949, and a letter from the newspaper's aviation editor on August 2. An agent interviewed the observer on August 2 and prepared a formal investigation report. The Air Force classified the case as unidentified, meaning it could not be explained by any known aircraft or natural phenomenon.

This case file of 11 pages is reproduced below as held by the National Archives.