Incident #206 Sighting Report — Clark Air Force Base, Philippines, 12 November 1948

This document details the investigation of Incident #206, a sighting of an unidentified aerial object reported by a sergeant from the 18th Maintenance Squadron at Clark Air Force Base in the Philippines on 12 November 1948. The witness, while engaged in Special Services activities, observed a large, snow-white, airplane-shaped object with a long fuselage and no visible tail assembly. The witness estimated the object to be 300 feet long with a 140-foot wingspan, flying at an altitude of three to six miles. The object reportedly moved faster than any jet aircraft, emitted a single roar, and left a white exhaust trail described as 'sky writing.' The witness claimed to have seen the object enter and exit a large cloud formation six times. The report includes detailed correspondence between the Thirteenth Air Force and the Air Materiel Command at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base. Technical intelligence officers analyzed the reported configuration, noting that an aircraft of that size and speed, lacking a tail assembly, presented significant aerodynamic challenges. They concluded that if the reported dimensions were accurate, the object would be an exceptionally large jet-powered aircraft, though they expressed skepticism regarding the witness's ability to accurately estimate size and distance without a reference object. The official evaluation of the incident remained inconclusive, with investigators suggesting that the witness's observations might have been illusions caused by intermittent cloud cover. The document also includes sketches provided by the witness and internal routing sheets documenting the request for aerodynamic analysis. The report was eventually downgraded and declassified under DOD Directive 5200.10.