Incident Report — Ft. Davis, Texas, 19 April 1953

On April 19, 1953, at approximately 1:20 P.M., a civilian witness named A. V. Chapin observed an unidentified object near Ft. Davis, Texas. The witness was observing a vapor trail stretching from the northwest to the southeast when they noticed an object floating near the trail. Initially, the witness suspected it was a balloon, but noted it was oblong in shape and lacked the characteristics of a standard balloon. The object appeared to hover, then descended, resembling an eagle or buzzard in flight, though it remained at a very high altitude. As it passed over, the witness observed short, pointed wings. The object then accelerated to a speed described as 'uncanny' and 'much greater than any jet plane.' It was amber in color, made no sound, and left no vapor trail. During the 45-second observation, the object changed direction three times—moving to the right, left, and up and down—before disappearing over the horizon beyond the Davis Mountains. The report was forwarded by the Civil Aeronautics Administration in Marfa to the Directorate of Intelligence at the 97th Bombardment Wing, Biggs Air Force Base. Mr. Grey A. Pringle, Chief of Airways Operations Service at Marfa, confirmed that jet aircraft with swept-back wings were operating in the area at the time. The official conclusion reached by the Directorate of Intelligence was that the object was a jet aircraft at high altitude, with the amber color attributed to sunlight reflecting off the airframe.