Incident #225 Sighting Report — Near Vaughn, New Mexico, 1947-1948

This document, dated 20 December 1948, is a summary of information regarding 'Unconventional Aircraft' sightings reported by a Colonel in the New Mexico Military District. The Colonel reported observing a ball of light on two separate occasions, 3 or 4 November 1948 and 23 November 1948, both at approximately 2130 hours, near Vaughn, New Mexico, on Highway 60. The object was described as a reddish-white ball, approximately one foot in diameter, which descended vertically and burst 100-200 feet above the ground in a spray of reddish color, extinguishing before reaching the surface. The witness noted that there was no sound during these events and that he was traveling in a closed automobile at the time. The Colonel initially did not report these sightings, believing they were related to Air Force exercises. The document includes evaluations from other personnel, including a Director from the Institute of Meteoritics at the University of New Mexico, who suggested that the phenomena could not be explained as astronomical. However, the official conclusion reached in the report is that the objects were likely man-made devices used in scientific experiments, which were common in that region. The report also references other incidents, including Incident #223, and contains correspondence between the Fourth Army and the Air Materiel Command at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base regarding the investigation of these sightings.