Sighting of Unidentified Flying Object — Shemya, Alaska, March 1949

This document is an Air Intelligence Information Report regarding two separate sightings of an unidentified flying object by the crew of a 375th Reconnaissance Squadron B-29 aircraft on the night of March 29, 1949, near Shemya, Alaska. The first sighting occurred at approximately 2205 local time while the aircraft was approaching Shemya at an altitude of 2400 feet. The co-pilot and a scanner reported a lighted object passing approximately 100 feet below their aircraft. The second sighting occurred at approximately 2235 local time while the aircraft was in a procedure turn at 5000 feet. The crew observed a light approaching from their left, which passed overhead and to their right, vanishing among scattered clouds. The object was described as a blue-white light with an exhaust-like appearance, traveling at an estimated speed of 300-400 miles per hour. The crew noted that the object appeared to be traveling in a horizontal path, which they felt contradicted the behavior of a typical meteor. A ground observer, S/Sgt William A. Brown, also reported seeing an object at approximately 2330 hours that night, moving due north at 5000 feet at a speed of approximately 300 miles per hour. The official conclusion provided in the report suggests the objects were either aircraft or meteors. The reporting officer, R.E. Smythe, provided comments noting that while the objects were difficult to identify, the presence of jet aircraft in the area or the possibility of a meteor were the most plausible explanations, though he acknowledged the difficulty of identifying jet exhaust under certain approach angles. The report includes statements from the crew members, including 1st Lt James S. Gist, 1st Lt Floyd M. McAllister, and 1st Lt Robert A. Dittmar, as well as the ground observer, S/Sgt William A. Brown. The document is classified as unclassified and includes a map showing the relative positions of the sightings near Shemya.