38_143685_box_Incident_Summaries_101-172 RG 38 incident summaries 101-172, continuing the Project Sign/Grudge numbered case file with check-list forms and witness narratives, including Incident #101 — the 18 February 1948 daylight fireball/meteor over northern Kansas (Norcatur/Norton/Stockton) reported by editor M.R. Krenbiel and farmer Leland Sammons, with a recovered 109-pound achondrite meteorite later confirmed by Texas Observers astronomer Oscar Monnig.
NND 917033 — same Project Blue Book incident-summary series as box 7 #1-100, declassified in the 1970s and publicly available via NARA, Fold3, Black Vault, and CUFOS. The Norcatur/Stockton 18 February 1948 fireball is a known Blue Book entry.
CHECK-LIST - UNIDENTIFIED FLYING OBJECTS
1 Date 18 February 19L& Incidont
# 101
Time 5:01 P.K,
5 Location WNorcatur, “ansas
L. tano of observor M, R, Krenbiel account (taken from newspeper)
Se Occupation of obgorvor Editor
6o Address of observor Norton, Kamsas |
Te Placo of observetion Norcatur, Kansas
8. Numbor of objoets Yne
9. Distanco of objoct from obsorver N/S
10. Timo in sight N/S
11, Altitude 30 = 35 miles above earth
12, Speed N/S
3. Diroction of flight N/S
1L Tactics N/S
15. Sound One big explosion - "afterwards a lot of littil.e explosions"
6. Ssizo N/S
17. Coler Bluish-white smoke smudge
18. Shapo Mushroom
19. Odor dotectod N/S
Apparent construction Meteor
21, Exhaust trails gfl/muiub-
Woathor conditions N/S
Effoct on clouds N/S
Sketches or photographs Photo of vapor trail left in sky by explosion
Manner of disappearance Disintegration
Romarks: Oscar Monnig, of the Texus Obscrvers, imateur Astronomy, 1010
Morningside Drive, Ft. Yorth, cffers "tangible proof that the fireball
of February 18 over narthern Kansas was just that, inasmuch as meteorites
have been recovered from it." There were found, beginning April 2l, first
several smaller fragments up to one of L 1/2 pounds. Then a disturbed
spot in a clover field led to the digging up of a piece of some 109 pounds
embedded about two feet in the soil. The stone is what is termed as an
"aghondrite", a technical name for an wnusual type of stony metecrite.
It is reported to be of a type which will deteriorate rapidly.
A photograph of the trail of the meteor, made by amateur photographer
Duane W, Wray of Norton, shows the vapor trail left in the sky by the
explosion of a meteor which was seen in Oklahoma, New Yexico, Colorado,
Kansas, and “ebraska. It was made at Wray's home, nine miles north of
Norton, just four minutes after the meteor exploded. A smudge of blue-
white smoke remained in_the sky for an howr February 18th. This photo-
graph is in file wnder Incident #101, .
Further remarks are eontained in supplement.
i L : @
A EXHIBIT B ’
Statement taken from Leland Sammons ¢ ? i
My name is Leland Sammons, and I live on a farm 1l miles west of Stockton
and 1 mile north, off 5 2l. »
On February 18 at about 5 P.M., I was standing near my hog-pen about 100"
east of my house, when I heard the pheasants raising a disturbance and the
chickens all rushed to the chicken-house. I looked around toward the house
to see what was causing it and saw something hovering just above the house.
I ran towardthe house, and it then lowered over the north end of the house
and settled toward the ground. I was then very near it, approximately 6'
when it stopped about level with my face, and just wobbled around for an
instant, fire belching out of it and sucking back in., The thing was about
L' long, shaped something like a funnel. There was a pipe sticking out the
back of it, and once as it wobbled around, the pipe was sticking right at
my belly. Suddenly there was a lot of sparks showered from it, and the fire
increased as if a fuse might have lighted, and it took off in a north-westerly
=
direction very fast, gaining altitude as it went. My wife heard it leave and
ran out where I stood, and we watched it go, leaving a trail of smoke all the
way. Suddenly there was a great cloud of smoke in the sky, not more tham
L0 seconds after it left my yard, and in a few seconds or more, we heard an
explosion. I then stepped off from my house to where it had been, and it
was five steps. Yes, it was hot, I could feel the hear from it. Had I not
been washing my car prior to the occurrence, wetting the ground, there would
have been a bare spot in the yard where the thing started up because there was
a great rush of fire from it when it left. It must have been quite high when
it exploded.
Kenneth “ays, son of Floyd Hays, 1l miles east of Norton on US 36, at the Jcts
of K-60, south side of highway.: At about 5 to 5:30 P.M., not sure of time,
was riding his horse in a pasture, when ‘he heard something queer in the sky.
Looking up to the south-west, he saw what appeared to him to be a rocket,
just like he had seen during the war in Europe. It startled him, an
jumped off the horse. He then remounted, watched its course, almost on
a level but losing altitude a little, and it then exploded with a big cloud
of smoke, apparently over Norton, from where he was, south of Prairie View.
He rode on toward home a ways, when suddenly the sound and jar of the explosion
reached him. Mrs, Hays was home in the house, when she heard and felt something
like a truck might have struck the house. She ran out of the house and then
first saw the huge cloud of smoke. About LO minutes later, a part of the
smoke clowd dirfted directly over their house, and went on east over
Phillipsburg. SIS e
Halph New, postmaster at Norcatur, stated that at about L:50 P.M, he was
standing just inside the front window of the postoffice in Norcatur, when
he observed a blinding flash as if someone had taken a flashlight picture.
He could locate no one with a camera, but noticed several men walking to the
center of the street and looking up. He then walked out to where they were
and looking up, saw a high cloud of smoke in the sky almost diredtly overhead
{
:
(copy) 19/
® L
-
323 W, Tenth St.,
Pueblo, Colorado
February 20, 1948
Office of the Chief. of Staff
* Us Se Army
VWashington, D. C.
Subject: Explosion in the -slq near Norcatur, “ans,
4300 p.m. (MST) February 18, 1948
Purpose: To call attention to some peculiarities
in commection, whether coincidental a not
According to an AP bulletin appearing in the Pueblo CHIEFTAIN
for February 18, 1948, some object was seen moving eastward
across the sky on the late afternoon of February 18th, and
when this thing reached a position approximate to Noreatwr,
Kansas, exploded, or disrupted, or disappeared. The ex-
plosion is said to have been terrific.
Directions given as to the progress of this appearance in-
dicate that it moved from west to east.
Information contained in the dispatch under a Denver dateline
indicate that while many would call this object a bolide =
€.g., exploding meteor - the astronomers of Chamberlin
Observatory (Denver) did not so assess it: it is said in
the dispatch that these officials could offer no explanation
of it. N 5
If this is the case, the apparance is anomalous, and may lend
itself to other meteoric explanation.
A sketch-diagram of the earth and moon's orbit reveals a pe-
culiarity in connection with the appearance, which may be
significant.
If a line is stricken at right-angles across the meridional
position of the site of explosion of this meteor at hour
angle four o'clock (local time) and this line be considered
the west-to-east course of the object, then it will be seen
that if this line is continued outward into space toward the
orbit of the moon it will intersect the lunar orbit at a
place near to where the moon would be at from 80 to one hundred
hours after the explosion took place.
New moon occurred at 9 D 10 H 2 M February; First Quarter
"at 17D 8H M, February —— the moon moves approximately
. 12,5 degrees per day along its orbit.
It is held by rocketry experts (example, WILLY LEY - see
his ROCKETS, p. 192, diagram and note in connection there-
with) that it would take about 100 hours for a rocket-craft
to negotiate the distance from Earth to Moon.
Prior to its explosion over Norcatur, this object of Feb,
18th was variously reported ds a "falling plane", a "jet
plane", and a "ball of fire". It is said by some to have
left a trail of smoke behind it.
Tt is the suggestion of this writer that the Army collect
and assimilate reports on this object, with a view to
determining where it was seen as an object trailing smoke .
and where as a ball of fire. :
If this thing is a rocket of some kind headed for the moon,
it might first have been seen as a streak of smoke, then
later as a ball of fire, and lastly as a tremendous ex—
plosion when it at last reached sufficient speed and eleva-
tion for take-off.
The writer has-in mind the various and wnexplained reports
on "flying saucers", and bases this speculation upon a
long consideration of various oddments of reports whose
significance might be of space-craft from other worlds of
space.
The so-called "meteoric procession" which crossed Toronto
in February 1913, consisted of a number of groups 34
illimmated bodies traveling in groups of three and moving
in "rigid formation", all pursuing a course across the
same straak of the earth's surface. +f a line is projected
backward along this line of flight it will be seen that
»
this line "comes out" at the position of the moon at the
time. The 1913 phenomenon occurred in the mid-period of
a series of reports on dirigible aircraft of appearance
like zeppelins which were seen over England and whose 3 |
appearance terminated - or reports on the appearances
stopped - just prior to the inferior conjunctior of Venus
of April 2l;, 1913,
The writer begs to call attention to the fact that the
times prior to and just after inferior oqn,junction of Venus
are prolific in reports of strange things seen in the sky.
Also trat lights have been repar'ted on the moon from time
to time, back for at least a century.
experiment the moon is selected |
If in the futwe of military ets (which has been |
as a base for the launching it rock
of
may be well to look first : :
suggested by some writers),
= ]
® ®
r
;
FILE REF: - SIGGE-4-1 March
s
1
From: i Norman G, Markham
:
MATN HOTHL, Pueblo, Colo
To: 7 Chief Signal Officer
#
U. S, Army, Washington, D.C.
Subject: - p Norcatur, Kans., sky explosion
. 3
of 18 February, 1948
Purpose: To show a speculation regard-
ing the above phenomenon and
another one of earlier date
and to call attention to
occurrences between the two
which have an appearance of
= relationship whether coineci-
d9ntd or not.
The geographical position of the Noreatur explos
ion suggests possible
linkage with other occurrences happening inside latitud
inal limits arbitrarily
demarkable between 43° 36! North (which is the
latitude of Boise, Idaho)
and 36° 10' North (the latitude of Nashville, Tenn.), a
belt about L&5
miles wide,
This suggestion is gained from positions given for
occurrences
happening between June 2l;, 1947 and February 18, 1948,
as shall be
hereinafter briefly described.
THE BOISE (Idaho) OBJECT—This was seen either beginning or ending at 330
pm
2); June 1947 and was visible for 20 minutes. It was in the western sky,
was of comet-like appearance, and settled gradually toward the horizon as
planetary bodies set. It was seen by Lt. Gov. Whitehead and Chief Justice
Lampert. Its nature was unknomn.
The peculiarity which connects this obJectfi for speculative purposes, with
the explosion of some unknown object over Norcatur, Kans., on 18 February
1948 is the seeming of a relationship between the positions of the moon for
the two phenomena:
In the former case the moon was at the date of phenomenon, about 7%, 63
before the positionof First Quarter; on the second case it was about &%,73
beyond the position of first quarter.
Since the Boise object was visible for 20 minutes before it sank this
argues it was about ten degrees above the horizon when first seen. Now
if a line be dramn westward and at ten degrees zenithward from the
101~
horizon of Boise at 3:30 p.m. and another line be drawmn from the position
of the moon at one hundred hours before the sighting of the Boise object,
and projected to the center of the earth, it will be seen that this ten-
degrees-altitudé and the moon-earth line intersect as a place far above
a geographical position considerably to the west of Cape Blance, in the
neighborhoodof about 700 miles off the coast.
The Boise object in its appearance suggests a rocket-typeof craft possibly
using reaction blasts to brake itself down for a landing on the earth.
The bright point and plumy tail of the description suggest this, as also
its apparent fixity in space.
HOLLE'S “SHIP IN FLAMES" —— Nine days after the sighting of the Boise .
object a forest lookout named Earl Holle saw at or soon after 4:00 p.m.,
3rd July, 1947, something he took to be a "tanker in flames". This was
seen horizon-ward from a point in Sonoma County, California, near to Fort
Ross. A search was instituted by the Navy or Coast Guard, and nothing was
found. The soviet tanker ELBRUZ, which had been in the vicinity, was
queried and found to be all right. This was not explained.
If this apperance had been on the i'wrizon, there is no telling how far
it may have been from the observer.
CAPE MENDOCINO BLIMP INCIDENT —- Not far from the location of Holle's
"burning ship" an accident occurred to a navy blimp, 1l July 1947, off Cape
Mendocino.
This blimp suddenly settled into the water, slipped out its crew and rose
again,
The anomaly here is that one would not expect to find drastic down-drafts
of such violence as to thus upset a lighter than air craft. FPossibly a
downdraft accounted for the accident - but if the Signal Officer will look
up the incident of the British steamer Talma which, at:the time of the
sighting of a luminous wheel-like phenomenon in the Gulf of Martaban,
reported a slowing of the engines from some unknown cause, it may be seen
that possibly forces are generated in some manner by certain unknown
objects at times in the ocean, which may have physical attraction for
material objects. This blimp accident occurring in.waters where occurred
other phenomena shortly to be mentioned, seems to have a doubtful side
to it.
THE QAKIAND OBJECT — Early on the morning of 13th October, 1947, a °
photographer named Ben Dobus togehter with a taxidrive r named A. J,
Goldman saw a thing "that looked like Satwrn with a ring around it."
It shot at terrific speed WESTWARD across the sky of the Bay area, and was
seen shortly after midnight.
‘This may have been heading in the general direction of what may have been
the goal of two later objects which roughly resemble it in description.
THE TICONDEROGA OBJECTS -- According to the tanker Ticonderoga's
second officer, two "flying discs" were seen heading SOUTHWEST when the
ship was in L3 degrees fifteen minutes north and 12l degrees 5\ minutes
west, at 0620 GCT, 12th November 1947.
These may have been heading for the object seen in the Pacific off the
Golden Gate, not long afterward - or possibly at the same time, if earlier
reports on this are consulted. 2
THE PHANTOM REEF — On November 2L, 1947, the Navy denied that it had
found a phantom reef or other obstruction to navigation at a point about
400 miles west of San Francisco. The Navay Survey ship MAURY, sent out
there in response to reports of ships that some hugh object had been
seen in the water in that neighborhood, reported that when in the
approximate 1 titude and longitude of the supposed obstruction they
picked up an echo from something in the water 1600 yards from the
ship; but that when they had steamed to within LOO yards of this, the
echo vanished.
There seems a possible connectability between the various elements so
far considered.
Later on January 7, 1948, there were occurrences in the neighborhood of
Wilmington, O., Ft. Knox, Ky., Franklin, Ky., and Nashville, Tenn., all of
which must be now familiar to the archivists of the Signal Office.
Something like a "flying disc" was pursued by one Lt. Mantell and two
other pilots, ®antel being killed while in the process of attempting to
gain altitude to get close to whatever it was he was chasing.
Also, in this connection, it may not be amiss to mention the deaths of
two military officers who were said to have been bringing back material
evidence from "flying discsTM one of which was said to have met with some kind
of accident over Maury Island, Puget Sound, around June, 1947.
It will be seen on inspection that the gpogi'aphical locales of these
incidents fit inside the belt of latitudes hereinbefore mentioned.
THE NORCATUR EXPLOSION was described in a previous letter of this
writer, and it was shown in that letter that a line tangential to the
meridian of Norcatur, Kans., at hour-angle 2:20 p.m., would if con-
tinved outward into space to the orbit of the moon, intersect the
moon's orbit at a point where the moon would have been at about 100
hours after the time of the explosion.
According to rocketry theory, it would take a reaction-propelled
craft of the rocket type about 100 hours to reach the moon.
- \
I submit there is a likelihood that on June 2L, 1947, something like a
space-ship came here from the moon and upon February 18, 1948, returned
%o the moon.
)
This is of course speculation.
But has anyone yet explained the "flying discsTM i terms of all the
pretty-well proven facts in connection with them?
Has anyone yet devised a fuel powerful enough to kick a rocket from
Earth to the Moon?
There have been hundreds of reports, during the past century, on
occurrences which imply this world is visited from outside space.
Absence of contact by these postulatable visiting entities may imply a
state of culture far beyond ours, to the point where it would be inex~-
pedient for their members to have to do with us en-masse.
These 'reparts have never been seriously considered by science, which g
in general ignores them.
However, according to Dr. Rocht of Chamberlin Observatory, Denver, there
is nothing in astronomy to explain the thing which exploded over Norcatur,
Dr. Nininger's idea that the ‘thing was a meteor flatly disregards Pr, Rocht's
opinion, which may have been based on the Denver Posts' statement that a
Denver woman saw the Norcatur object twenty minutes before the explosion
occurred.
I submit that the Army needs men who are capable of recognizing the anomalies
beforementioned when they occur, evenif only to aid in speculation regarding
them,
The undersigned offers his services to that end, if the Army may wish to
avail itself of them.
/s/ N. G. MARKHAM
: . : °
_Excerpt of letter dated April 11, 1948 from Dr. Lincoln LaPaz, Director,
Tnstitute of Meteoritics, University of New Mexico, Albuguerque, New
Mexico, to the Deputy Executive Director, Committee on Geophysical
Sciences, Research and Development Board:
of March
'nnn?: you for the surprising documents sent me under datefantastic
30, As you remark, certain aspects of Markham's letters are
{for example: (1) the fireball procession of 1913, February 9, was
genuinely meteoric, although a rare type of chain fallj (2) no astronomer
could take seriously Markham's "invasion by beings from Venus or the Moon"-
theory: (3) he appeals to, and biases in his favor, such untrustworthy
ajtributed to
evidence as newspaper stories, e.g., the absurd statementMarkham
Dr. Rocht of the Chamberlin Observa tory). Neventh eless, is justi-
fied in calling attention to certain incidents as wnexplained, for e: le,
the "flying lenses" (in my opinion 99% hoax and imagination and 1% reali.
As regards the Norcatur, Kansas incident, I remain convinced that, gh
like the Four Corners incident, it was a genuine meteorite fall, althou
r,
fall), Howeve
one of exceptional size (again like the Four Cornerssome
these falls, of an objective
there are many curious aspects of both spite of intensive searches (ad=
nature, like the singular fact that inr qondit. ionu), not a trace of meteoritic
mittedly under bad terrain and weathe e nature, like the
material has so far been found; some of a non-objectiv
Alfred Glemn, and other
amazing testimony given b y Mr. Leland Sammon s, Mr.
witnesses of the Norcatur incident, both to member s of the State Highway
Commission of Kansas and to Institute of Meteoritics field 2 survey parties.
(See exhibits A, B, aml C enclosed.)
Some comment on such testimony as appears in AyB, and C would seem
desirable: s
as red hot. #hen I pointed
1. Glenn first reported the battery caseaccou nt was changed to
out that the paver on it was not charred, his itics party found only two
"t00 hot to handle"., The Institute of Meteor The battery case has been
ry case fall.
men, not four, who saw the batteDepar
exami ned by Dr. Victor Regene r, tment of Physics, University of
New Mexico, who states that it appear to be identical with the small
s
batteries used in portable radios.
2. K. Hays' identification of the Norcatur objec t as a rocket has
the following support: On the momi ng of Febru ary 19, I talked to the
at McCook Field, Nebraska.
towerman and two assistants at the Air Base fireb
All three denied the Norcatur object was a all and described it as
a black object with an extremely brigh t jet of flame pouring out of the
rear. Furthermore, a ll~ye ar old, and presumably unbia sed, schoolgirl
in Oberlin, Kansas wrote me a similar description of the "Fireball."
-
Ut
3. A determined effort is under way to check up on Sammons' veracity
(and sanity!) I have neither seen nor .talked to Sammons, but another member
of the Institute of Meteoritics party (Dr. D. M. Gragg, an Instructor in the
Department of Mathematics) who did so believes Sammons (who is a well-to-dO
farmer) to be sincere and very badly scared. Of course nearness to a big
meteorite fall would scare one as badly as an atom bomb; but how could it
produce such testimony as Sammons".
The MTMmeteoritic" incidents from the great fall of 1945, November 29
(from which no meteorites have been recovered either!) through the sequence
of similar falls culminating in the Four Corners and MNorcatur incidents,
coupled with such t ings as the Ussuri incident, convince me that ei ther
the earth is under a most unusual cosmic bombardment or many of the
the meteoritic
fireballs are not meteorites at all. While I still cling toright
hypothesis, it is clear that which ever alternative is the one, the
situation cries aloud for thorough investigation.
he )}
: ?
(copY)
: &
. EXHIBIT A .
Roy W. Cox, Director of Highways
STATE HIGHWAY COMMISSI ON
OF KANSAS
. Division 3
Norton
NOTES TAKEN AT NORCATUR, KANSAS, Night of Feb 18
Mr, Ralph New, Postmaster at Norcatur, tells us that at approximately L350 PM
he was standing in the north window of the post office in Norcatur looking
toward the City Hall when he was suddenly illuminated very brightly by some
terrific light.
®
He ran outside into the street where others were looking toward the northeast
at a very large cloud of white smoke high in the sky. He stated that in about
a minute and a half, there was a terrific explosion followed by a heavy
rumbling noise like thunder and that the smoke cloud was growing larger all
the time. Also there was a white smoke trail in the sky from the southwest
where the missile had come from.
He said that from the ceriter of the street, the explosion and the first big
mushroom of smoke was directly overhead and at a tremendous height.
Another man in Norcatur stated that just prior to the explosion, he had heard
the motors of an airplane.
Chief Scott learned- from some man in Norton that just following the explosion,
something fell at his feet on the street and he picked it up, to find that it
was a small flashlight battery resembling those used in 'fountain pen
flashlights' and that it was red hot. After a crowd of men gathered and
examined it, he was unable to findit and thinks that someone took it.
Kenneth Hays of east of Yorton was about 5 miles south of Prairie View when
he heard something roaring in the sky to the west of him, far away and very
high. He says that it resembled a rocket traveling northeast toward Norton
direction, and that suddenly there was a terrific explosion followed by a
mushroom of white smoke andthat there followed other explosions or something
resembling explosions. When he saw it, it was nearing the ground or horizon,
in other words, losing altitude.
Bdgar Young's boy at Reager, was standing beside the Reager elevator and heard
something high over head, looked up to see a very bright flash of light and
then a lowd explosion followed by a big cloud of smoke.
The airport at Norton thought about 20,000 feet, time L4:50. Checked but no
plapea missing. X
- ’
)i = ¥ W 7
|\7\ l".
b L Suddenly, about 1 and' 1/2 minutes after he had seen the -
flash, there was a terrific explosion and jar, shakin the ground g
and camsing
the windows all around to rattle. Following the explosion, there were several
loud reverberating rumblings across the heavens. He: stated that the explosion
must have been very high.
Edgar a boy living at Regar, just east of Norcatur, was outside the
elevator, he observed the explosion, looked up and saw the huge eloud
of smoke. He stated that it was almost overhead but slightly west of him,
He said that it was a big explosion. The elevator man was out in the
elevator, when he heard the explosion. He t ought shat his oil-bwurner had
exploded in the office and ran in to see about it. Finding it 0.K., he ran
outside to see what had exploded, saw the big cloud of smoke high overhead,
slightly west.
*
Eastern Kansas newspaper carried a story about 6 days ago of one just
like this one, coming from the south to vicinity’of Iola, Kansas, where it
turned west and disappeared into the sky.
Check with Chief Scott of Norton about a bumed flashlight battery
which fell in the street of Norton just after the explosion. It was too
hot to be picked up for several minutes. Chief Scott has it.
Note: A copy of Exhibit "C" referred to in letter from Dr, LaPaz, was
not received.
® Rl
CHECK=-LIST - UNIDERTIFTED FLYING OBJECTS
1. Dato 18 Felruary 1948 z Incidont
# 102
2, Time 1500 MST
5+ Locetion Xexmroryxiamsa® Air Near Green River, Utah
Lis Tame of observor Lenord P, Marchese (B-29 Pilot, Lt, 28 Bomber Gp)-
Carl W, Stucki, Lt., Co-Pilot, (see reverse side
5. Occupation of obsorver Pilot for other witnesses)
6. Address of observor T7th Bomb Sq, 28th Bomb Gp (VH), Weaver AFB, S.D.
7+ Placo of obssrvetion 39° N = 100°
W - near Green River, Utah
8. Numbor of objoots One
9. Distance of objoot frem obsorvor 100 miles
10, Time in sight N/S
11. Altitude20,000 feet
12. Speecd Ver'y high
13. Diroction of flight Southeast of Limon, Colorado
1he Tactics Explosion rate
15. Sourd Could not be determined due to- B-29 engine noise
16. Size Huge . ¥
17. Color Hulti-eulored.ball of.r:lre
18. ShapcHuge mulfi-coi;:red ball of fire unzd dense cloud of smoke
19. Odor dotoctod N/S Kl i -
20. Apparent construction N/S .
21, Exhaust trails Vapor trail vr.td ball of fire at head of trail %
22, Wosthor conditiohs Clear
23. Effooct on clouds N/S
2, Skotchos or photographs None
25. Manner ol; disappearance N/S
26, Romarks:; NaMEX Over
A ge multi-colored ball of fire trailing a dense cloud of smoke
was sighted at approx 1500 hours MST 18 Feb U4g, N-100° Wat
epprox 20,000 ' by two 329 aircraft of the 28th dment Group (VH).
It was seen some 100 miles southeast of the B-29s, Size was estimated
as lmge altho impossidle to determine accurately due to the distances
It was traveling at very high speed amd heading southeast of Limon,
Colorads, at approx 20,000 ft.
Witnesses: Ospt Hovard H. Berodt, A0-49504,
e Rt Bomd Up (VE). Bil
of Lot
or
718th Bomb
B oW Sa
t Maurice T. Ritenour,
05 Bomb Gp (VH). Co-PiloAO-USO43, 718th Bomb
t of 1-2 3129 i
1st Lt Leonard P. Marchese, A0-748714, 77th Bomb
Sq., 28tk Bomb Gp (¥H). Pilot of 2nd B-29
1st Lt. Cerl W. Stucki, A0-785916, 77th Bomb Sg,
28th Bomb Gp (VH). Co~Pilot of 2nd B-29.
NOTE: See Incident 101 - Norcatur Kansas,
L@
CHECK-LIST - UNIDENTIFIED FLYING OBJECTS
Date 1% February 1948 W 103 ]
Time 1500 MST |
Location Nwmmcomeodémoox Air near Green River Utah
H, Berodt = Capt Maurice
Mamo of observore Capt. Holtld T. Ritenour
Inc 102 - corrderati
Occupation of obgorvor FPilots
Address of observor 718th Bomb Sq, 28th Bomb Gp (VH) Weaver AFB, S.i)-
Placd be obsorvetion 39° N - 100° W - Near Green River, Utah
Number of objo‘cts Ene
Distance of objoct from observer 100 miles
Timo in sight N/s
Altitude 20,000 feet
Spocd Very high j
Diroction of flight Southeast (of limon, Colorado)
Tactics Explosion rate
Smlrd. Could not be determined due to B-29 engine noise
Sizc Huge (Seen 100 miles west of the B-29's)
Color Multi-colored ball of fire’
Shapo Bugh milti-colored ball of fire and dense cloud of smoke followed
Odor dotectod N/S
Apparent construction N/S
Exhaust trails Vapor trail with a ball of fire at the head of trail
Woathor conditions Clear
Effoct on clouds N/S
Skotchos or photographs None
Manner of disappearance N/S
Romarks: Momx - Seme as incident 102 which see
M
oRLSTRICTED
CHECK-LIST - UNIDENTIFIED FLYING OBJECTS
1. Date 7 Mer
48 Incidont # 16'&
2. Timo | 2055 €
3. Location Buyrna, Tenn.
L. ik Fran
L, Fenn,
k Maj, USAF,
,;;igmzw;.uw P iy Johnson,
00, Suyr
AF na
Base
Se Occupation of obgorvor s 0 of Smyrna & radio and tower operators
AACS Station
64 Address of obsorvor Smyrna AAF, fixmx Smyrna, Tenn
Te Placo of obsorvetion Smyrna AAF - 6 miles from (ground)
8. Numbor of objoctsl .
9. Distance of object from obsorver 6 miles
10, Timo in sight 45 minutes
32 Altitude About 5° above horizonm ’
12.. Speod very slow
13. Diroction of flight WNW awey from Smyrna
1k, Tactics N/S Faded away
15. Sound “None
6. Sizo Unknown
7
17. Color yellow-orange
18. Shape oval .
19. Odor dotected N/S
20, Apparent construction N/S - seemed to be flare
21, Exhaust trails None
2B, Woathor conditions CAVU - 10 miles
23. Effoct on olouds N/S
Skotches or photographs i‘iga (2) showing yellow orange flame-like oval
25. Manner of disappearance faded into horizon
26, Romarks : (over)
CHECK=LIST - UNIDENTIFIED FLYING OBJECTS
1, Date & Mar 4g Incidont # 105
2, Time 1100
3. Locetion Belmont, N. C.
L. Yame of observer Mr. A, C, Morrisen
5+ Occupation of obgorvor Supt. Meter Dept, Duke Pover Co., Charlotte, N. C,
6. Address of obsorvor Charlotte, N. C. (Duke Power Co.)
7. Placo of obsorvation - Belmont, N. C. (Sighted from ground)
8. Numbor of objocts 1
9. Distanco of objoct from observer I/S
10, Time in sight about 10 seconds
11. <itudo N/S - could not be estimted
12, Specd Around 600 MPH' e
ERQEITE flight Basterly
1h. Tactics Nome - moved in straight line at constant speed without
change in altitude or direction
15. Sourd None
16. Sizo From a distance - that of a small coin
17. Color bright or silver - looked metallic
18. Shapo round or sphere (unsble to determine which)
19. Odor dotectod N/s .
20, Apparont construction Metallic
21, Exhaust trails None
22. Woathor conditions Clear with scattered white clouds
23. Effoct on clouds I/S
2L, Skotches or photogréphs None r
25. Manner of disappoaranco behind small white cloud
26, Romarks: (over)
A round metallic-sppearing
speed of. 600 MPH was obh‘lcnd"u
object moving
ar Belmont, ;.r?:n..{
at an estimated
1100
the morning of & Mar ug, humflm-mnlnrvlfim-uutunmiv
with a few small scattered fleecy white clouds,
It could not be
determ
if the
ineobject
d . were a disc
or sphere, Its appargnt size was
that of a smell coin of a bright or silver color. It reflected the sun
maintainina
g steady reflection whi
did
chnot flicker, The object which
mmobnrmiufumw-uu-m
mnmmlymm
moved in a straight line at a constant speed withou
t apparent change in
altitude or direction, It was impossible to det
erm
the altitu
ine de but
it was mving above the clouds. No sound of any kind
was heard nor was
any exhamst trail observed.
NOTE: Witness (Mr Morrisom) is a men of excellent character and
reputation,
.ruawmwmmomumhmk
m-mp
yeers, He impressed the agent as being comservative
amd sound
and is a technical man with a very technical and
responsible position,
Mr, Morrison was careful in his statements. He does mot claim
he saw the "flying disc", merely mXiy claiming
that they saw
an object which they could not identify with any natural
or known type of aircraft. It resembled "a round metallic
appearing object moving very repidly."
Witnesses: Mr. Hendrix, assistant Superintendent, Meter Dept
Duke Power Co., Charlotte, N. C.
Mr, G. W. Jordan, Gastonia Electric Co.,
Gastonia, N. C.
7
S
]
suld b Y VI S
TIDENTIFIED FLYING OBJECTS
1. Dato 5 March 1948 Incidont # 106
Tine 1610 = 1655
3 Locetion Bakersfield, California
L. Yame of observer George L. Buchner
Occupation of obgerver N/s
4ddress of obscorver Bakersfield, California
Placo of observetion From ground, southwest toward Buena
Vista Lake,Calif,
Numbor of objocts Two
Distancoe of objoct from obsorver 10 = 12 miles
10. Timo in sight N/S
5 14 Altitude N/S
12, Specd N/S
3. Direction of flight Earthward
14 Tacties N/S
15. Sound N/S
16. Size N/S - |
7. Color Seemingly on fire, black and red smoke trailing behind
18. Shape Similar to falling aircraft
19. Odor dotectod N/S
Apparent construction N/S
21, Exhaust trails Brownish-white smoke and debris trailing
22. Woathor conditions N/S O L0 e
23, Effoct on clouds N/S
Skotches or photographs None
25. Manner of disappoarance Behind a water tower, which was an obstruction
to the view
26, Romarks: Gomments of G. L. Buckner and other witnesses to this
sighting contained in attached suppl
ement,
2%
< .’fim"v?f“"m»r"“ DTN A ab
7 W INT ULPESI § G gpwy !
HEADQUARTERS FOURTH AIR FORCE
Office of the Assistant Chief of Staff, A-2
Intelligence
Hamilton Field, California
LAFDA-3/1208-1
SUBJECT: Investigation of Flying Disc. Mar 11, 1948
TO: Chief of Staff
United States Air Forces
Washington, D, C.
ATTN: DIRECTORATE OF INTELLIGENCE 8
Air Intelligence Requirements Branch L
1. Incident reported on 9 March 1948, this headquarters, per telephone
call from Sgt A. M. larsen, Sheriff's office, Bakersfield, California,
/
/ a. “bservation by Mr, (George L) Les Buchner, Bakersfield, California,
of two objects falling to earth from unknown source on 5 March 1948 between
1610 and 1655 hours. Description of objects similar to falling aircraft
with smoke and debris trailing. Observation made at Bakersfield with objects
sighted southwest toward Buena* Vista Lake, California.
b. Observation by Mr. Denio, employee of the Pacific General Elect,ic
Company, Bakersfield, California, of two objects which fell to earth from
unknown source north of Bakersfield, California, & March 1948, One object
seemed to be on fire with red and black smoke trailing behind.
o 2. Informant Larsen stated that searching parties, aircraft and rescue
~~ units have made numerous attempts to locate these reported objects without
success.
3. Investigation of incident has been initiated by this headquarters.
Report will follow.
/s/ Donald L. Springer
DONALD L. SPRINGER
. Lt. Colonel, USAF
AC of S, A=2
Information to:
ADC, Mitchel Fld, N,Y,
FBI, San Francisco
62, Sixth Army
DIO, San Francisco (12th Nav,Dist)
PAT ann %
\.w-\m um&uuw B urmfi. \e
e
HEADQUARTERS FOURTH AIR FORCE
Office of the Assistant Chief of Staff
Intelligence
Hamilton Field, California
LAFDA-3/1208-T
SUBJECT: Investigation of Flying Discs
SUMMARY OF INFORMATION:
Information from the Sheriff's Office, Bakersfield, California, revealed
that numerous calls from residents in Bakersfield concerning peculiar objects
in the sky over Bakersfield, predicated an investigation by their office and
contact with A-2 Headquarters Fourth Air Force.
/ On 13th March 1948, two informants, Mr. George L. Buchner, and %r,
H. B. Nix, stated that they observed a flying object which appeared to be
consumed in fire, and left a brownish-white plume of smoke, which suddenly
stopped and
[…truncated…]