Incident #58 Sighting Report — NW of Bethel, Alaska, 4 August 1947

This document details Incident #58, a report of an Unidentified Aerial Phenomenon (UAP) observed on August 4, 1947, northwest of Bethel, Alaska. A pilot and co-pilot, flying a Douglas DC-3, reported sighting a black, saucer-like object that appeared to be as large or larger than a C-54 aircraft. The witnesses described the object as smooth-surfaced, streamlined, and lacking visible wings, motors, or propulsion. The object was observed for approximately four minutes at an altitude between 500 and 1,000 feet. The pilots estimated the object's speed at 520 mph, or three times their own speed. Initially, the pilots were unable to determine the object's direction, but after pulling up to 1,200 feet to avoid a potential collision, they observed it moving away at a rapid rate. The report includes correspondence from R. Allen Showalter, an official with the Weather Bureau in Anchorage, who vouched for the pilot's credibility, noting he was not the 'imaginative type.' Subsequent internal military evaluations, specifically from the Air Materiel Command, concluded that the incident was likely a misidentification. The official opinion suggested that the pilots were startled by a conventional aircraft crossing their path. Because the object was silhouetted against a 'brilliant evening sky,' the investigators posited that the pilots were partially blinded, which prevented them from correctly identifying the aircraft's wings or engines. The document also notes that there is no astronomical explanation for the sighting, as the duration and speed of the object made such possibilities unlikely. The file includes various administrative memos and copies of the report as it was forwarded through military channels, including the Fourth Air Force and the Air Weather Service, reflecting the government's efforts to document and evaluate such reports during the early period of UAP investigations.