Incident #215 Sighting Report — Fairfield-Suisun AFB, 3 December 1948

This document details Incident No. 215, a UAP sighting that occurred on 3 December 1948 at Fairfield-Suisun Air Force Base, California. At 2015 hours, two control tower operators, both deemed reliable and psychologically stable, observed a bright, circular white light approximately 30 inches in diameter. The object was first sighted about two miles north of the tower at an altitude between 500 and 1,000 feet, traveling at a speed estimated in excess of 400 MPH. The object slowed to approximately 200 MPH, exhibited an undulating or bouncing motion, and then performed a rapid vertical climb to 3,000 feet. After leveling off momentarily, it accelerated again, climbing rapidly toward the south-southeast until it reached an estimated 20,000 feet, at which point it was lost to sight. The observers viewed the object through 3-power binoculars and with the naked eye, noting that it was brilliant but not blinding, and clearly not an aircraft navigation light. No sound, exhaust trail, or wings were observed. The report includes a detailed investigation by the Intelligence Division at Fairfield-Suisun AFB, which concluded that the object could not be explained by known phenomena. Specifically, investigators ruled out a weather balloon, noting that high winds of 60-70 MPH would have prevented a balloon from maintaining a southerly course, and the last scheduled balloon release had occurred three hours prior to the sighting. The report includes diagrams of the flight path and the base layout, as well as a signed statement from one of the observers. The Air Materiel Command's official opinion stated that there was no logical explanation for the incident that fit the available evidence. Later, the incident was indexed in the Project GRUDGE report, where it was categorized as a non-astronomical event for which no explanation was evident.