TAOS N MEX, October 1952October 1952

On the evening of October 17, 1952, four Air Force officers stationed at Kirtland Air Force Base near Albuquerque saw a bright blue object streak across the sky near Taos, New Mexico. The witnesses were in different locations when the sighting occurred. Major Charles Coble was driving ten miles south of Taos on Highway 85, while three other officers, 1st Lieutenant Richard Volk, 2nd Lieutenant William Arrowood, and 2nd Lieutenant Warren Eiljenholm, were watching a football game at the municipal stadium in Albuquerque. All observations took place at approximately 2110 to 2115 hours Mountain Standard Time.

The object moved from north to northeast or from southwest to northeast, depending on the observer's vantage point. Each witness described it as roughly the size of a volleyball or football, bright blue in color, and traveling at an extremely high speed. Major Coble estimated the object was moving at approximately 2,500 miles per hour and was about 10,000 feet above the ground. The observers who saw it over Albuquerque estimated higher altitudes, around 30,000 feet. All four witnesses reported seeing the object for only two to three seconds before it disappeared suddenly. Some observers thought it seemed to "burn itself out" rather than simply vanishing from sight, and at least one reported a sudden flash at the moment it disappeared.

The Air Force's initial investigation concluded that the object was probably a meteor. The case file notes that the sighting received newspaper publicity before investigators could conduct their full inquiry, and that "a large number of people not included in this report" also witnessed the event. However, no detailed summary of public observations or additional evidence appears in the remaining pages of the file. The Air Force evaluation form lists the case as "unknown," though the investigating officers' comments stated it could be explained as a meteor.

The full case file is reproduced below as held by the National Archives, comprising 10 pages.