PROJECT BLUE BOOK

UNIDENTIFIED FLYING OBJECT CASE FILES · 1947 – 1969

CASE REFERENCE8726766

DATE OF SIGHTINGSeptember 1954

REPORTED LOCATIONLas Cruces New Mexico Oklahoma City Enid Oklahoma

FRAMES18

→ Original microfilm scan (PDF) → Return to index

Machine transcription · mean legibility 77.2/100 · engines: paddle-gpu-200dpi, tesseract-200dpi

Transcribed Frames

FRAME 001 / 018paddle-gpu-200dpi

PROJECT 10073 RECORD CARD
1. DATE 12. CONCLUSIONS
7/
0 Was Balloon
18 September 1954 Oklahoma City, Enid, Oklahoma 0 Probably Balloon
DATE-TIME GROUP 4. TYPE OF OBSERVATION 0 Possibly Balloon
Local Ground-Visual Ground-Visual Ground-Radar Ground-Radar 0 Was Aircraft Was Aircraft
00 Probably Aircraft Probably Aircraft
GMT. 19/0300-0400Z AirVisual AirVisual Air-Intercept Radar 0 Possibly Aircraft
5. PHOTOS 6. SOURCE Was Astronomical METEOR Was Astronomical METEOR
O Yes 0 Probably Astronomical Probably Astronomical
No Military Military 0 0 Possibly Astronomical Possibly Astronomical
7. LENGTH OF OBSERVATION 7. LENGTH OF OBSERVATION 8. NUMBER OF OBJECTS NUMBER OF OBJECTS 9. 9. COURSE Other. Other
000 Insufficient Data for Evaluation Insufficient Data for Evaluation
Varies' Varies 1 1 Unknown
10. BRIEF SUMMARY OF SIGHTING BRIEF SUMMARY OF SIGHTING 11. COMMENTS
White object leaving vapor trail which White object leaving vapor trail which Unusual meteor, trail persist 30 Unusual meteor, trail persist 30
.remained 30 minutes Explosive light.Rainbow minutes. minutes.
colored flame from object. colored flame fro Local evaluation ocal evaluation
meteorological phenomena - Exploding meteor
LVR.
(SEE CASE FILE)
.

FRAME 002 / 018paddle-gpu-200dpi

0b
.ppror
Ropt-20-UPOB2SOUE
SOURC umable to distin
arue bet theatriangal rliohts he could be certain
thae it omly object asit blecked.ou trzveLin
SOURCEFEEE
NOHHNTED SELA

FRAME 003 / 018paddle-gpu-200dpi

20/03157p
a
ormeteorologiea
UNCLASSIFIED

FRAME 004 / 018POOR LEGIBILITY — PENDING RE-EXAMINATION

FRAME 005 / 018paddle-gpu-200dpi

8 Other-UmnsuaT ctivitoCoiitonss
arncrSastrobeme
19 Sep 54; boten
catoercobservation.baaloon-withmerc eTaasedats
2045 hours from Vance ArB Weather Tety thie balloon rises at n2o ri per- mimnte
emits: a white Light, ardas rising in a generaily south to north direction
12Additional Dats

FRAME 006 / 018POOR LEGIBILITY — PENDING RE-EXAMINATION

“ pen 4 8 , . — ,
“SING Ly re shes * be. Sab SS; eee OF oe +t PLO we be ahr A! te <a 2 oN :
- ew. t i a “= “+
> : + ; i 1) * ~ \e" US ;
3 p 3s J i - . ' of Sl es =
ee | : ™ 5 ee eee ee ee eee ~ -+s ” 4 ve Ne wea REI A Te

vy rod... SF Wey fogs) at Teh eee ‘ ‘
ih Fa Mga oe a LE es

; “ea et A
= = wer sf 4 tee me 3 one Fr " p 3° b a
i « . . » ss _ oe, ; » " ’
7 ; . . ow +* * » * 7 4 és
ye ae Ame «emcee hwemas 10s “my oud bn 2e-c neemnes-Vastnane + 2e.t Te Pe . » ‘ % -
Pe tat wtpatg to" 4 me Bgl lb yre c 4
Pa mt m2 Oe ee: , CY oe ¢ , ee ee a ad s <G@
ee eee oe Be er oat ote ie TN ey Gn 3 Wart Set bE : oS ~
a + . ‘ ¥

Po. ; See AP e PF wes. = ; ;
} . ‘shy Ween i » ——— “. — Ee as a a ! “9
2% Caer ame Meee fe SS eet be tee SRS” aren ty TS A : i, -
eB aa i, SaaS bes. eee eae eee LA WSR ee

vet oe ap? ‘ tow 42
~~“! we? | ie . > ’ : ry « & ‘ aa ; Py ~~?
ie ee ee A ae er hs ? wn bPladad stan . =) Pe ee

Y PL Ve yao ey 4
-> « = eee ww > Gre.
¥ Pie se 3. + eee ea tant

fied é

a

ee ee ee sw,

Are eet i. ree ihe: SBI 3.8 Se AN Pca Te
: : ie <t na a We’ ¢

Liat = rod aad meat: 7 ‘4

of pe

Tye
PTS F

5,4 Chee.

ia

-

A
ee

“

«t
* = :
e
.
.
|
'
« i
|
’

FRAME 007 / 018paddle-gpu-200dpi

fSt
VLaver
ZSouth tohortr
Lovement just above center of attention

FRAME 008 / 018POOR LEGIBILITY — PENDING RE-EXAMINATION

<x
; , be ee
eee as

¥ “*
he oe

~ a Se ub
=) ered

FG) t E cs : ra.
covered by three: (3? Lights fad’

“ ¥w - ‘yy
rr

tal Nee ee ek Be ed dee S34. oD a

‘

Pepa sear

FRAME 009 / 018paddle-gpu-200dpi

and over Denver turned night into day. A United Airlines pilot at
about 15,ooo feet near Laramie, Wyoming, saw the blue-green ball
crossing his course and for some ten minutes observed the luminous
cloud it left behind [6]. At almost the same instant, the fireball was
sighted in the Bay of San Francisco, 1ooo miles away. Major Keyhoe,
the Director of NICAP (see Chapter xIn), enthusiastically and
inaccurately recorded this meteor as two separate UFOs, one flying
over San Francisco where it caused a "skyquake," the other over
New Mexico and the Southwest where it "rattled airplanes flying
something unusual. A new wave of UFO excitement began to sweep
the country. Were mysterious machines from outer space again
patrolling New Mexico?
The astronomers who had admired the fireball at White Sands
were amazed at the public reaction. As professionals who had spent
Galely 39-THE WORLD OF FLYING SAUCERS
their lives in observing and analyzing astronomical phenomena, they
agreed that the object had been unusual in its slow movement, its
color, and its brilliance. But an unusual meteor is still only a me-
teor, not a spaceship, and they easily recognized it as a green fire-
ball of the type that had appeared over the Southwest a few years
earlier.

FRAME 010 / 018paddle-gpu-200dpi

In the years following, green fireballs occasionally appeared. An
astronomer observed one over Lafayette, Colorado, at 7:45 P.M. on
June 4, 195o. One soared over the New England states and eastern
Canada on November 2, 195o, and a year later, on November 2,
1951, a plane crew over Texas sighted another which was dramati-
cally publicized in Life Magazine, and described in a saucer publi- FSC
cation [2, p. 92] as a "projectile-shaped device" and a "strange
missile" that shot out red balls. Few others made the headlines until
the one of September 18, 1954, but even that caused only brief
excitement and the Air Force expressed no alarm.

FRAME 011 / 018paddle-gpu-200dpi

IN 16/3174 2E
Mith
- 20 SEP 1954
17 19SEP54 05 5 -
- TDAT
IYA'73
WAT16IN
190557
JWFAM "12
2Z JWFNE JEDEN JEDUP JEPFF JEPHQ JESRO 666
DE JWFAN C3
Z 190503z
FM HQ LOWRY AFB COLO
TO ZEN/SECDEF WASHDC
( - JEDEN/CONDR ADC ENT AFE COLO JEDEN/CONDR ADC ENT AFB COLO
JUFNE/CONDR VANCE AFB OKLA
JEDWP/CONDR ATIC WRIGHT PATTERSON AFB JEDWP/CONDR ATIC URIGHT PATTERSON AFB ONIO ONIO
JEPHO/DIR OF INTELLEGENCE HO USAF WASHDC JEPHQ/DIR OF INTELLEGENCE HO USAF WASHDC
JEFFF/CONDR KATS ANDREWS AFD WASHDC JEPFF/CON'DR NATS ANDREWS AFB WASHDC
JESRO/CONDR FLIGHT SERVICE ORLANDO FLO
ZEN/UFOB AIRBORNE
FLIOHT SUPPLEMENT REPORT AF2SSS. ACFT REPORTED SIGNTED UNK OFJECT
.2136C. ACFT POSITION 45 INOTS WNW OKC NEADING 29T DEC. ORJECT
( HEADING APRX 24" DEG AZKUTH 3" DEG TAR TO NORZN HEIGHT UNK. BRIGHT
HULTI COLORED TAIL THEN CHANGED TO WHITE TAIL 3 I DEG WIDE ? DEG LONG.
AFTER 5 MIN TAIL CHAGED TURN AND THEN TO V TURN. DRDLY FADED
2250
COC STM LINE STK WORD SHUD PREAD CHANGED
12/ SE JWTAM

FRAME 012 / 018paddle-gpu-200dpi

{
. : I
ACTION
19 SEP 54 22 452
L.S. ECitia
−
-
¸
DAHA HILL AFD UTAH (.
DERACONDR ADC ENT AFE COLORADO SPRINGS COL) J
WWP/COUDR AIRTECHNICALINTEL -PATTERSONAFB S OXIO
DIROFINT I INS USAF MASIEC (
s
:I TO SHOOT FROU OBJECT FIRST OESERVER.ST. BRILLIANT BRILLIANT
.
SLCOWING FLAME CHT BRILLIANT BLUE WHITE TRAIL LASTI ROX 5 MINS
TH. 3 DEG VIDE AND 26. DEG AZIMUT LONG CMI WEMT INTO HAZY HFITE
ASSVNING QUOTE S UNOUOTE SHAPE THEN GRADUALLY INTO QUOTE U UNQUOTE
SJMRE DISSIPATING AFTER APPROX 2A MINS /N/ NEGATIV /I/ NOE
X2/VA/ FIRST ORSERVEP HOTIFIED
SECOND AND THIRD ORSERVERS WITHIN 5 SECS /BCD/ ORJECT CROSPED SKY
A. meteer which
evsloved XV.R
:
S

FRAME 013 / 018paddle-gpu-200dpi

/3TAST TRANSPORT −
PILOT GITL EXCELLENT CNI SECOND' OES EPVER HAJ 28TH LSS
THIRD OESERVER RAYHOND K HENLEY
MAVIGATOR CMN EXCELLENT /7//A/GOOD // NEGATIVE/C/
BLHITEAZ UNLIMITED /E/NONE // NONE
MADIO. 2I42 CMN FULL REPORT LOWERY FLIGHT SERVICE BY GARDEN (
41O 22A CMM CIRVIS REPORT COMDR ADC ENT AFE CMN COLO CMN A1O 22A  CMM CIRVIS REPORT COMDR ADC ENT AFE CMM COLO CMN 10c005
VASHDC /11/ NONE /12/ CAPT ALBET SCOTT PROV JANSHALL HILL WASHDC /11/ NONE /12/ CAPT ALBET SCOTT PROV (ANSHALL HILL
D FOC: ASE UTAH CNM POSSIELE CAUSE OF SIGHT INGS METEORULOCICAL FOC ASE UTAH CMM POSSIELE CAUSE OF SIGHTINGS METEORULOGICAL
S/P43EZ SEP JWPIL
22 18 2961 dS 07
NI 3

FRAME 014 / 018paddle-gpu-200dpi

x 18SiPT.5u. ACTION
IN 22
atn LAS
08 1 ts
20 SEP 1954 19SEP 54 89.452
..
R8.7
BPPLT .
TYA177
JE: E
SCHFENGY JEDWP
Da dEPO-A3F
Y 65722 −
EMUSAF WASH DC
NYIC
3542
DR MARCH FLIGHT SERVICE CNTR MARCH AFB CALIF
EN/COMDA ADC ENT AEB COLG
CYOCMDR COMNESTSEAFROM TREASURE ISLAND CALIF 189
INE FROMM NN OF OKC
CBJECT OBSE AF 2965
EACILL
AT$0R AT D45M BY TMA 87 243M BTN TCC AND A3D TUA 17 2649M
tee AFO PD TWA32 LD MI E OF ACH AT 24SM FD REPORT AT FIRST BEING
RECCFIPED AS METEOR HAVEING G A STRAIGHT TAIL PECONING HORSHOE
A SHARED LVGS AND AITERGLOW FD TCO -
t INLAC ANA I INEAC AMA INSAC AND
akAsR ROVONANY CALLE PD ABO

FRAME 015 / 018paddle-gpu-200dpi

Eate
20 SEP 1954 08 19 19SEP54 07 472
UPP*2c
C 1x
YD2"16
XYC*54
ACTION 53114
XDCCC9T
JUPRH A1c7
00 JEDEN JEDWP JEPHQ JEPFF 444
DE JWPRH C3TU
0.196417
CALIF
TO JEDEN/CMDR "CTIDR ADC ENT AFD ADC ENT FB.COLO
JEDWF/CMDR ATIC WRIGHT PATTERSON AFE JEDWP/CMDR ATIC WRIGHT PATTERSON AFE OHIO
JEPHQ/DIRECTOR OF INTELLIGENCE HQ USAF WASHDC
JEPFF/CMDR MATS ANDREWS AFE- WASHDC
11 11 EOB FOB
I
A A NO DESCRIPTION AS TO SHAPE NO DESCRIPTION AS TO SHAPE
3 NO DESCRIF - TO SIZE
C WHITE
ED ONE
:'E N/A
F NONE
VEEEEEE SEEN
FOR APPRO EARED
H NONE.
I BRILLI ANTLY LIGHTED
II .
A OBERVER STATED AN EXPLOSIV
THE OBJECT
B ELEVATION ACFT AT TEN THSND FEET TD OBJECT APEROX TWENTY THSND FEET PD

FRAME 016 / 018paddle-gpu-200dpi

AGFT
P LEVAL FLIGHT
.E STRAIGHT AHEAD GOING AWAY .
C.. F OBJECT IN SIGHT FOR ONLY A FEW SECONDS ED VAPOR OR TRAIL IN
(: SIGHT FOR APPROX METY HINUTES
11.
( A AISTO
Y
E NONE
C C45 AF1786 FIVE DEGREES PD ALTITUDE
TEN-THSND FEET PD IUNDRED LAND AFB B NEW
C. MEXICO PD
IV
1934z
NIGHT
FIVE FIVE MILES NORTH OF LAS CRUCES N.M.
VI
A UNKNOWN
9
WAEEEEEE WE D KIRTLAND AFB N.M.PD RELIABILITY
3 UNKNOWN
TVII
B SURFACE AT SEVEN REST WIND TO UNK
C CLEAR
D SEVENTY FIVE MILES
F NONE
F NONE
VIII
NONE .'
- IX

FRAME 017 / 018paddle-gpu-200dpi

MONE
+s x
( UNKNOWN
XI
OPERATIONS OFFICER ASSIGNED TO MARCH FLT SVC CENTER
MARCH ARCH AFB. CALIF AFB CALIF PD
IF IS THE OPINION OF THE PREPARING OFFICER THAT THE IF IS THE OPINION OF THE PREPARING OFFICER THAT THE OBSERVER DEFINITLEY
THERE
SHOULD BE ADDITIONAL REPORTS FORWARDED FROM SHOULD BE ADDITIONAL REPORTS FORWARDED FROM AIR FORCE BASES IN
THAT AREA PD THAT AREA PD
XII
NONE
SGND D MARCH FLT SV CEN T
19/0703Z SEP JWPRH

FRAME 018 / 018paddle-gpu-200dpi

OIC FIt2D
L er Comde L6azd Ass with Inen
DIUSAEu/incL
COME ATIGW/ineL
UNCLASSIFIED