Report of Unusual Incident — Redstone Arsenal, 13 July 1950

This document consists of a formal report from the Headquarters Third Army at Fort McPherson, Georgia, dated 21 July 1950, regarding an unconventional aircraft sighting at Redstone Arsenal. The report was forwarded to the Commanding General of the Air Materiel Command at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base. The incident occurred on 13 July 1950 at approximately 1700 hours. Two witnesses, an employee of the Chief Signal Office in Washington and an Engineer Aide from the Ordnance Rocket Center, observed the object from the rear porch of the Civilian Bachelor's Quarters. The witnesses described the object as triangular in shape, constructed of highly polished aluminum, and approximately the size of a standard door, though potentially larger with a tapered effect. The object was flying at an altitude of 1,000 feet at a speed estimated between 100 and 125 miles per hour. Despite the overcast weather and the presence of a large black thunderhead behind the object, the witnesses noted it produced a brilliant light. The object's flight behavior was particularly unusual; it was observed for a distance of five to eight miles. Upon reaching a line parallel to a quarry pit near the North West end of Madkin Mountain, the object appeared to experience flight trouble. The two triangular sections of the object were seen to move or 'flop,' with the leading section rotating clockwise and the rear section rotating counter-clockwise by approximately 25 percent. This motion lasted for about 30 seconds before the object returned to stable flight. Subsequently, the object turned at a right angle over the quarry and accelerated at a high speed, disappearing from view in less than three seconds.