Project Blue Book Case File
VEGA, TEXASDecember 1952
Summary
On the night of December 29, 1952, two U.S. Air Force captains flying a B-26 bomber from Perrin Air Force Base in Texas spotted an unidentified bright object in the sky near Vega, Texas. Captain William T. Bowley and Captain Herbert T. Lange were on a routine navigation training flight heading toward Tucumcari, New Mexico when, at 2105 hours (9:05 p.m.) Central Standard Time, they observed what they described as a white light with greenish tints about forty miles away from their aircraft.
The object appeared roughly three times the size of a C-54 cargo airplane, with no visible engine parts, wings, or exhaust system. For about five minutes, it hung in the sky at an altitude of around 7,000 feet, traveling at an estimated speed of 250 knots per hour and keeping pace with the bomber. Then the object abruptly changed behavior. It climbed vertically at high speed, rising from 7,000 feet to 15,000 feet in approximately five seconds, before disappearing into broken clouds to the west.
Both officers were experienced military pilots. Bowley had logged over 1,200 hours of flying time, and each had served nearly ten years in the Air Force. They immediately radioed the Civil Aeronautics Administration operator in Tucumcari to report what they had seen. The operator, however, could not detect any unusual light from the ground. Weather conditions at the time were clear with excellent visibility over fifty miles, and a full moon was visible. The Air Force investigation found no known meteorological or other conditions that would explain the sighting, and no physical evidence such as fragments or photographs was ever recovered.
The Air Force's official evaluation of this case was unidentified. The full case file is reproduced below as held by the National Archives, comprising 7 pages.
Reported location
VEGA, TEXAS
Date of incident
December 1952
State / country
TX / US
Page count
7 scanned pages
USAF evaluation
unidentified
Microfilm
T1206, Roll 17