Project Blue Book Case File
NENANA, ALASKAJanuary 1952
Summary
On January 22, 1952, radar operators at Murphy's Dome, Alaska, spotted an unusual target near Nenana. The object appeared on the radar scope at an odd angle and moved at an estimated speed of about 1350 to 1500 knots (about 1500-1700 miles per hour). What made the contact strange was that the target seemed to reverse direction and approach the station, then fade away and reappear at its original location again.
An F-94 fighter jet was scrambled to intercept the object. As the aircraft approached Nenana around 1100Z (11:00 a.m.), the radar observer aboard spotted two targets, one faint and one bright, at about 25,000 feet altitude. The pilot attempted an intercept run, closing to within 200 yards of the target before losing contact. Approximately an hour later, the F-94 made another pass at a target in the same area, again closing to 200 yards before the signal disappeared. Despite clear skies and good visibility, the pilots never obtained a visual sighting of anything unusual. The pilots had successfully identified other aircraft visually earlier that same night, so poor eyesight was not the issue.
The weather that night was clear with excellent visibility, though the Aurora Borealis (northern lights) was particularly brilliant and active. On January 23, a second F-94 crew attempted to relocate the mysterious target but lost radar contact at 12,700 yards. The Air Force electronics experts considered three hypotheses: reflection of radar energy from Mount McKinley, ionized gas clouds created by meteor activity, or interference from the Aurora Borealis. The final analysis concluded the targets were caused by weather phenomena, though the precise nature could not be determined. The full case file is reproduced below as held by the National Archives across 32 pages.
Reported location
NENANA, ALASKA
Date of incident
January 1952
State / country
AK / US
Page count
32 scanned pages
USAF evaluation
unidentified
Microfilm
T1206, Roll 9