Project Blue Book Case File
VAN NUYS, CALIF., July 1952July 1952
Summary
On July 1, 1952, a family of six observed an unusual object in the sky near Van Nuys, California. The family, which included the father, mother, and four children aged 11 to 15, was at the intersection of the Angeles Crest Highway and Mount Baldy Road. At about 7:45 p.m., they noticed a bright object in the evening sky, initially believing it to be a star. When they looked at it through binoculars, they could see a distinct disc shape, which was not visible to the naked eye. The object appeared highly polished and convex, with no visible lights of its own. Instead, it reflected the sun's rays.
The family watched the object remain completely stationary for approximately 10 minutes. During this time, they confirmed its location by aligning their line of sight with the hood of their car, and the object did not move. After about 10 minutes, one of the children noticed the object begin to move. It rotated slowly until it stood "on edge," then traveled rapidly upward in a vertical path and disappeared from view. No sound was heard, and there were no visible vapor trails or signs of any propulsion system.
The father was a civilian employee of the Veterans Administration serving as a registration officer. He was familiar with aircraft and meteorological balloons and stated that he was certain the object was neither a Skyhook balloon nor a star. Based on the appearance of a B-36 bomber he had observed earlier that day at approximately 50,000 feet, he estimated the object to be roughly half the wingspan of that aircraft.
The Air Force evaluated this case as unknown. The full case file as held by the National Archives is reproduced below across 10 pages.
Reported location
VAN NUYS, CALIF., July 1952
Date of incident
July 1952
State / country
? / XX
Page count
10 scanned pages
USAF evaluation
unknown
Microfilm
T1206, Roll 10