Incident #362 Sighting Report — El Paso, Texas, 30 May 1949

This document is a formal report concerning an Unconventional Aircraft sighting that occurred on May 30, 1949, in El Paso, Texas. The report was generated by the Antiaircraft Artillery and Guided Missile Center at Fort Bliss and forwarded to the Fourth Army and Air Materiel Command. Two military witnesses, PFC Lewis Liske and Pvt William R. Tyrrel, reported observing a highly reflective, oblong object while they were watching a fighter plane in the air. The witnesses described the object as being roughly the size of a cub plane but shorter, and noted that it appeared to turn slowly on its longitudinal axis. The object was in sight for approximately three minutes, during which time it moved from 90 degrees to 35 degrees of arc before disappearing into clouds. The weather conditions at the time were reported as clear with bright light, 10 MPH winds, and scattered clouds. The investigation included a review of local flight schedules and weather data. It was noted that an F51 type fighter was in the area at approximately 1330 hours, though the pilot did not report seeing the object. Additionally, Holloman Air Force Base released 'Rawinsonce' balloons in the vicinity at 1335 hours. The official conclusion reached by the military authorities was that the object was an aircraft, stating that no data was presented to indicate the object could not have been an aircraft. The report includes standard administrative details, such as the date of the interview (May 31, 1949) and the witnesses' military affiliation. The interrogator noted that the witnesses appeared to be reasonably intelligent and reliable. The document is marked as unclassified and includes instructions for its eventual declassification after 12 years under DOD Directive 5200.10.