Unidentified Flying Objects Reporting (FLYOBRP) — Continental Divide, New Mexico, 26 January 1953

On 26 January 1953, at approximately 2115 MST, personnel at the 769th AC&W Squadron station at Continental Divide, New Mexico, observed an unidentified aerial phenomenon. The object was detected simultaneously by visual observation and radar. Airman J.G. Dennis, while on duty, first spotted the object as a bright reddish-white light west of the operations building. The object moved behind a hill and reappeared, heading north at a slow speed. Airman Dennis reported the sighting to his crew chief, A/1c R.L. Welch, and A/2c R.B. Larson, who confirmed an unidentified blip on the radar scope approximately nine miles west of the station. The object was described as ball-shaped or oval, changing from a very bright reddish-white to a dull, blood-red color before fading from view. It was observed intermittently for 45 minutes. Radar data indicated the object was at an altitude of 10,000 to 15,000 feet MSL, moving at 12 to 15 MPH. The weather conditions included high thin overcast and scattered clouds, with winds from 270 degrees at 30 knots. An atmospheric inversion existed at 13,000 feet. Intelligence officers investigated the possibility that the object was a weather balloon released from Winslow, Arizona, but concluded this was unlikely because the object moved against the prevailing winds and the sighting duration exceeded the expected flight time of such a balloon. ATIC electronics specialists suggested that weather effects might have caused the radar return, but this did not account for the simultaneous visual sighting. The report notes that the sighting was one of the most complete received by ATIC, and the case was ultimately filed as an 'Unknown' in Project Blue Book records.