Incident #254 — Sighting Report, Tillamook, Oregon, 23-24 January 1949

This document details the investigation of a UFO sighting reported by a machinist and his wife near Tillamook, Oregon, on 23 January 1949. The witnesses, who were driving south on Highway 101, reported observing a stationary, silver, disc-shaped object in the sky for approximately two to three minutes. The object was described as being about 12 to 15 feet in diameter, reflecting sunlight, and appearing to float without motion at an altitude of 1400 to 2000 feet. The witnesses claimed the object eventually faded from sight as they attempted to retrieve binoculars. The investigation was initiated by the District Intelligence Officer of the Thirteenth Naval District and subsequently handled by the Air Materiel Command at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base under Project Sign. The investigating agent conducted interviews with the witnesses and local contacts, including the operator of a nearby store and a flight instructor from the Coastway School of Aeronautics. The investigation revealed that a silver-colored, aluminum-finished airplane had departed from McMinnville, Oregon, and flown through the area at approximately the same time as the reported sighting. The official conclusion reached by the investigating agent was that the witnesses likely observed this airplane, which would have appeared as a bright, silver object in the sun. The report includes detailed notes on the witnesses' character, noting that the primary witness was a 65-year-old pensioner who was partially deaf and wore thick spectacles. The investigator speculated that the witnesses might have reported the sighting to alleviate their daughter's and her husband's feelings after the story was ridiculed in the local newspaper, the 'Portland Oregonian'. The document includes various administrative correspondence between the Navy and the Air Force regarding the reporting and investigation of the incident, as well as a flight plan for a Luscombe Skycal airplane, which was identified as the likely source of the sighting.