Air Intelligence Information Report: Sighting of Unidentified Object by RB-36 Crew, 4 February 1953

This document is an Air Intelligence Information Report (IR-12-53) dated 7 February 1953, detailing a sighting of an unidentified aerial object by the crew of an RB-36 aircraft on 4 February 1953. The aircraft was on a ferry mission from Fort Worth, Texas, to Travis AFB, California. At approximately 1650 hours, while flying near Blythe, California, at an altitude of 20,000 feet, the crew observed a bright, white, round object positioned above and behind their aircraft. Seven crew members provided individual statements describing the object. Witnesses consistently described the object as a bright, white, stationary or slow-moving ball that appeared to have a metallic surface reflecting the sun. Estimates of the object's altitude ranged from 30,000 to 50,000 feet, and one witness estimated its size to be 15 to 20 feet across. The object remained in view for approximately 5 to 10 minutes before disappearing behind clouds. The crew members explicitly stated their belief that the object was neither an aircraft nor a weather balloon. Despite these testimonies, the official conclusion recorded on the form is 'BALLOON'. The report includes a plot map of the sighting area and the individual statements of the crew members. The preparing officer, 1st Lt. James F. Wood, noted that the statements were slightly conflicting due to the different viewing angles of the observers but affirmed that the report was worthy of investigation. The document was later downgraded and declassified under DOD Directive 5200.10.