Incident #106 — Bakersfield, California — 5 March 1948

This document details the investigation of Incident #106, which occurred on March 5, 1948, near Bakersfield, California. The report, issued by the Headquarters Fourth Air Force, describes the sighting of two objects falling to earth, accompanied by black and red smoke and debris. The initial report was prompted by a telephone call from a Sergeant at the Bakersfield Sheriff's office. Multiple witnesses, including civilians and an employee of the Pacific General Electric Company, reported seeing the objects falling toward the Buena Vista Lake area. The objects were described as appearing to be on fire and trailing brownish-white smoke. Searching parties and aircraft were dispatched to locate the objects, but these efforts were unsuccessful. The investigation, led by Lt. Colonel Donald L. Springer, eventually categorized the event as likely being related to 'star shells'—projectiles that emit a parachute upon disintegration to safely lower instruments to the ground. The investigator noted that while a single report might suggest a meteor, the occurrence of at least three similar incidents in the same area over a short period rendered the meteor hypothesis untenable. The document includes an incident index from a Project Grudge report, which lists various sightings and their evaluations, and concludes that the activity in this specific case could be attributed to marker flares.