Investigation of Events Concerning Track 17, 22 January 1952

This document is an Air Intelligence Information Report (IR-1-52) dated 6 February 1952, detailing an investigation into unidentified radar targets observed near Nenana, Alaska, on 22 and 23 January 1952. The initial contact occurred at 1020Z on 22 January at a radar site (F-2), showing a target moving at an estimated speed of 1350 to 1500 knots. The target appeared on a slant of 15 to 20 degrees rather than perpendicular to the radar radii. Subsequent attempts by an F-94 interceptor to track the object were largely unsuccessful, though the radar observer in the F-94 did report two targets (one faint, one bright) while approaching Nenana. A second mission on 23 January by the same F-94 crew also resulted in a radar contact that disappeared after an intercept run. The report includes statements from various military personnel, including pilots and radar operators, and notes that a team checked the aircraft for radiation with negative results. Dr. C.T. Elvey of the Geophysical Institute at the University of Alaska provided an opinion that it was unlikely a meteor would produce such radar indications. The report concludes that the targets were likely caused by weather phenomena, noting that the slant of the targets and their appearance/disappearance were consistent with weather-related radar returns. The document includes a list of 17 enclosures, including statements and an overlay of the flight tracks, and is signed by Captain Timothy J. Flanagan of the Intelligence Directorate, Hq AAC.