Tucson, ArizonaMay 1949

Unidentified

Summary

On May 11, 1949, several people near Watertown, New York reported seeing a silvery, slow-moving object in the sky that left a smoke trail before gradually disappearing. The sightings occurred between roughly 3:45 p.m. and 4:25 p.m., with multiple witnesses observing the phenomenon from a rural road near the St. Lawrence River. The object was described variously as rectangular like a shoebox, circular like a hubcap, or shaped like a disc. All witnesses agreed it was smooth, bright, and reflected sunlight like an aircraft fuselage. The object reportedly climbed for a few minutes, then leveled off and drifted slowly northeastward before dissolving gradually, tail first, leaving a gray smoke trail that faded away. No sound or odor accompanied the sighting, and none of the witnesses reported that the object made any violent movements.

The Air Force's investigation, conducted in June and July 1949, included interviews with the witnesses, inquiries to local law enforcement, and checks of military and commercial flight schedules. The investigator also contacted the 648th Warning Squadron at Pine Camp, New York to determine whether radar had detected anything unusual on May 11. The radar operator confirmed that Air Force equipment was operating that day but recorded no unusual activity. A Royal Canadian Air Force liaison officer stated that Canadian fighters stationed nearby would have shown up on radar if they had been in the area.

The investigator initially pursued the possibility that the object was weather equipment. Records from Griffiss Air Force Base in Rome, New York showed that four weather balloons (called rawinsondes, used to measure atmospheric conditions) had been released that day at 4:00 a.m., 10:00 a.m., 4:00 p.m., and 10:00 p.m. However, the records indicating the flight paths of these balloons had been inadvertently destroyed, and investigators were directed to check copies at the Air Force headquarters in Oklahoma City to determine whether one might account for the sighting.

The full investigation file, consisting of 10 pages as held by the National Archives, is reproduced below.

Reported location

Tucson, Arizona

Date of incident

May 1949

State / country

AZ / US

Page count

10 scanned pages

USAF evaluation

unidentified

Microfilm

T1206, Roll 5

Original case file scans

Original case file · scanned by NARAPage 1 of 10

View transcribed text

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Source: National Archives Catalog · NAID 28934749