St Lawrence Island, AlaskaMarch 1951

Unidentified

Summary

On March 19, 1951, near Gambell on St. Lawrence Island, Alaska, military observers reported a strange aircraft at about 2200 (10:00 p.m.). One officer and two enlisted men of an Army Security Agency unit saw the aircraft, which they believed was a jet, two to three miles northwest of Gambell.

They said it traveled at very high speed at 3,500 to 4,000 feet, flying in and out of the top of a heavy fog bank, then banked or turned to the north. It was in sight for about two and a half to three minutes. The observers could not make out color, markings, or wing tanks. No sound was heard and no smoke or contrails were seen. They estimated its size as similar to an F-86 or F-80, and two observers believed it had swept wings, more nearly resembling a Soviet MiG-15.

No known friendly aircraft were airborne in the area, and the local radar was not working at the time. The Air Force recorded the case in Project 10073, its official file for unidentified flying object reports. The conclusion was that the aircraft was probably of Soviet origin, a report of an aircraft, not a UFO.

Reported location

St Lawrence Island, Alaska

Date of incident

March 1951

State / country

AK / US

Page count

4 scanned pages

USAF evaluation

unidentified

Microfilm

T1206, Roll 8

Original case file scans

Original case file · scanned by NARAPage 1 of 4

View transcribed text

/
; PROJECT 10073 RECORD CARD |
19 March 1951 St Lawrence Island, Alaska 0 Wos Bolloon
— FT ERLE TENTS HBR ir 9, SRN DUAR INA |, BE od ee
3. DATE-TIME GROUP i TYPE OF OBSERVATION —|® Possibly Balloon .
I i iii X Ground-Visvel O Ground-Rodor x Re + ag
robably Aircroft
our 19/22002 BO Air Visual O Air-Intercept Radar |“ Possibly Aircraft
5. PHOTOS ER TT HE ee data
O Yes 01 Probobly Astronomical
XD Ne Military O Possibly Astronomicol
"7. LENGTH OP OBSERVATION 8. NUMBER OF OBJECTS | 9. COURSE “lo Other
. DO Insufficient Dota for Evaluation
21/2 = 3 min one Northerly @ hewn
“10. BRIEF SUMMARY OF $IGNTING 1). COMMENTS oF
A/C sighting of type not previously observes Believed to be USSR A/C. Report
and believed to be similar to MIG=15 confighration, of a/c, nop of UFO,
High speed (jet) flying in and out of fog bank.
No markings distinguished. Made manuvers
| consistant with those of a/c, No sound, Sisg
similar to F=86 or F=80, No known friendly
a/c in vicinity at time, Radar bent,
; ATIC FORM 329 (REV 26 SEP 52)
| #

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Source: National Archives Catalog · NAID 28939173