Sahaurita, ArizonaFebruary 1956

On February 25, 1956, a man and his wife stopped their car near Sahaurita, Arizona, to observe an object in the sky. The man was traveling south toward Mexico when his wife noticed something unusual and asked him to stop. Through binoculars, they watched the object for more than an hour.

The object appeared round and dark greenish-brown or black in color. The man estimated its diameter was about twice as wide as a utility pole a half mile away, suggesting a size of roughly 10 to 50 feet. He saw no sound coming from it. The object seemed to move slowly and changed direction during the observation, appearing to move north at one point and then in other directions. The witnesses said it resembled a rough sphere and noticed what looked like heat waves around it, though these could have been caused by the atmosphere.

The man filled out a detailed Air Force questionnaire afterward. When asked what he thought the object was, he wrote that it was a tangible object and wondered if it might be a balloon, kite, or something else he was unfamiliar with. He also speculated it could have been a rusty, deteriorated cast iron sphere with the ability to propel itself through the air. The couple reported the sighting to the Civil Air Patrol in Tucson, though the patrol showed little interest.

The Air Force investigation that followed attempted to track weather balloon flights launched from Vernallis Naval Auxiliary Air Station (near Lemoore, California) in late February 1956. Air Force officials checked balloon launches numbered 18 and 19 on February 22 and 23, and also reviewed flights I-1 through I-5 launched during February 23 and 24. However, no balloon trajectory records matched the time and location of the sighting. The Air Force concluded the sighting was possibly caused by a balloon, but found no evidence of any balloon in the Tucson area on the date in question. The case file contains the 24 pages reproduced below as held by the National Archives.