Incident No. 5051 Sighting Report — Little Rock, Arkansas, 17 March 1950

This document details a report of an unidentified aerial phenomenon observed on 17 March 1950, near Adams Field in Little Rock, Arkansas. The primary witness, a student pilot, reported observing 6 to 12 objects while in the traffic pattern preparing to land. The objects were described as round or octagonal, black or dark in color, and silhouetted against the setting sun. The witness initially perceived them as a large aircraft or a formation of F-51s, though he later clarified that they did not appear to be F-51s. The objects were observed for approximately two minutes, during which they performed a sudden 90-degree turn from southeast to southwest. The witness was accompanied by a student named Thomas Tanner, who did not observe the objects because he was occupied with landing the aircraft. The report includes a follow-up interview conducted on 20 March 1950, in which the primary witness stated he could not honestly confirm the sighting, noting that his attention was entirely focused on landing the plane at the time. The document also provides a log of military aircraft movements in the vicinity of Adams Field on the date of the incident, including T-6, T-7, L-17, and C-45 aircraft, to account for potential misidentifications. The report was forwarded by the Headquarters Fourth Army to the Air Materiel Command at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base for further information. The document is classified as Restricted and includes standard investigative forms for UAP sightings, noting that no radar contact was made and no physical evidence was recovered.