Project 10073 Record Card — 9 Jan 1953 Sighting, Santa Ana, California

On January 9, 1953, at approximately 1927 PST, the crew of a B-29 air-refueling aircraft, flying at 16,500 feet on a heading of 330 degrees over Santa Ana, California, observed a formation of blue lights. The aircraft commander, 1st Lt. Lowell D. Brandt, and his co-pilot, 1st Lt. Charles C. Loveless, reported that the lights appeared in a slightly bent V formation and approached their aircraft from a northeasterly direction with a rapid rate of closure. Upon sighting the lights, Lt. Brandt initiated a left turn to avoid a potential collision. The lights reportedly held their position momentarily, rose slightly, and then banked away before disappearing. The entire observation lasted approximately five seconds. Both pilots, familiar with the reflection characteristics of the B-29 cockpit, confirmed that the lights were not internal reflections. No other aircraft were reported in the immediate vicinity by Air Traffic Control or Military Flight Service at the time. Following an investigation conducted by the 93d Bomb Wing, the incident was documented in Air Intelligence Information Report IR-1-53. The official conclusion reached by the Air Technical Intelligence Center (ATIC) was that the observed lights were, in fact, a KC-97 aircraft operating in the area, which was equipped with a specific configuration of blue formation lights. The report includes statements from both pilots and a sketch illustrating the formation's movement and subsequent break-away.