Project Blue Book Case File
Spokane, WashingtonMay 1951
Summary
On May 29, 1951, over Geiger Field near Spokane, Washington, military observers reported a strange object at about 0918 (9:18 a.m.). Two pilots and two airmen saw the object with the naked eye. The weather officer reported winds and clear skies over the field.
Witnesses described the object as elliptical and flat, like a large sheet of paper or a thin aircraft wing, light sun-tan in color. It made no noise and had no visible exhaust. It moved slowly over the field from the west-northwest at about 2,500 to 3,000 feet in a wallowing manner, hovered, then ascended rapidly out of sight at about a 60-degree angle. The sighting lasted about four minutes, with the climb taking about 20 seconds.
About 25 minutes later, a passenger in a T-6 aircraft 40 miles southeast of the field saw a circular, glistening object high in the sky. The station weather officer doubted that weather alone could have lifted a piece of paper. The Air Force recorded the case in Project 10073, its official file for unidentified flying object reports. The conclusion was a balloon, moving with the wind and rising.
Reported location
Spokane, Washington
Date of incident
May 1951
State / country
WA / US
Page count
3 scanned pages
USAF evaluation
unidentified
Microfilm
T1206, Roll 8