Airline nilot: e nd . Diso!a:,ed 2 n::.CJ. C:lC Southec.st Cot'l::->~ab!e to f;l.3.rcs D.nd cr.so clo s e r to c>ortlnn~. I r.c:l one of fot.: ni:-:L.L'l\:: 1ilot!: SO.'W rthc_ob.: g.J._<'-.!-_:,c~.,;.,'-CC to ir.tc.::cE)t it, it urncc to t.hc r -- . ---~ 30Utheost r...'1c oullcc t.\;o.y UNCLASSIFlED cc 1 25th .\ir l.efense Coi.J'Tlan d UNCLASStFlEO UNCLASSIF~ED AIR DEFENSE COMMAND 25th AIR ~F-Ms-t-DIVISION (!'IT) P.O. BOX 909, EVERETT, WASHINGTON ~BJFCTr Project "SIGN" ~mmP~ding General Air Materiel Command Wright-Patt~rson Air Fore~ Base DRyton, Ohio Attn: MCIAXD-3 Co~nding General Continentel Air Co~mpnd Mitchel Air Foree Base, Ne~ York Attn: Director of Intellieence Chief of Staff United Stetes Air Force Weshington Attn: Dir of Intell, Peouitettents Div Commending Gener~l Fourth Air Force Air Foree B~se Hamilton, California Attn: Dir~etor of Intelligence In compliance ~ith par. 1, ConAC tetter 200.1, 25 MPrch 48, and par. 5 Pnd 6, Letter Fourth Air Foree, file OI-:50.00/2, drted 1~ b 49, the foll~ing inforn~tion es rel~yed to thi~ herrquPrt~rs .~a the District Intelligence Officer, Thirteenth Ne~l Di~trict, i~ submitted: At 2100 hours on 30 JUly 1949, bPt~ePn Stev~nA~n, TRshinP- ton, 8nd TroutedPle, 0rPFCn, a group of unidentified li~hts ~ere sighted by Northwest AirlineF pi , Portland, Oregon, while on a routine fli;ht from Yakima to PortlMd. Thrush ,;t.pted the objtaet could heve been t.,o or three planes flying in very elose formPtion, hor-ever, the red lights were Oft the wTong Side for airbornta aircreft. r.hen ThruRh eireled the fi .. le to await instructions for lrnding, the object changed course about 50 and left the vicinity. !he eo-pilot or the plPne, , also or Portl~nd ted the li~hts but 11 as not e.va for interviw. , CAA traffic controller on duty in the eontrol to~er or rport also obsery~ t:l}P object. &sforc rt-oortPdly observed UNCL.A.SSIFIED from th p arm 1rR8 ~ hPlicort ,. , c ., , arcing to Thntsh, Basford tl>rnPf. t}'le ohj~et dieart .. , ' '''.1eet, which he thou gh t et thP t ime '>uthensterly .~, ~ " c . : n1ide it to a lenc~ing. Hore ver, the desertption ot , -h rate of spe~d nnd hended in a ,., , ~,~, ""' f>n the lir,ht 1ra s focussed upon it. A (.re e.s follo111s: YPn~uvE'r~bilitY . " . -.:~ject was siPhted after sundo, .n. '-E'se prevented adeouste ohservPtion. ..... .:,ned because of dar}crless. : '-, ?'hi te lir ht on occe sion c: ner hour. .. -='l"roxima t ely 240<>t'. \'.ben 1' st SE'E'n ~oor. There ~es not ch- nee t n the change of heeding. ' ~levP.tion did not. chcnge r Epi dly. "ther sounds in o?JD plene woulrl heve FOR THF. co~u ~o. .lU:4I H. GALLIFNNF Mfljor USAF Intelligence Staff Officer l lNCLASSIFIED UNCLA.SSIFlEL .. I NCIDENT NO. 416 1. Dnt e of Observation 30 J_u_l_y l' 9 Date of Interviow 2 . Exact Time ( l ocs.l) 2100-2l}OP }. Place of Observation Vicinity Portl..:.nd, Troutdale & U.t. l:ood , Ore.~on 4. Position of observer Air and in tower 5 at att racted attention t o object 6. Number of objects 1 7. Apparent size S. Color of object 9 Shape 10. Altitude 11. Direction from observer 12. Distance from observe r 13. Direction of flight of object(s) Eaet 14. Time in sight 16. Sound and odor lS. Luminosity 19. Project ions 20. ~neuvers U&neu'Yered and ho'Yered 1n vioinity tor 30 miDutee 1iko h~lioopter 21. L~nner of disappoaranco 22. Effect on Clouds 23. Additional information concoming objoct Objeot diaplayed 2 24. ?loo.thor Conditions sq o1ttar, 'Yiaibi1ity Wl11m1tecl UNCLASS/;:-IFO no o.nd o.ddr~ss of obs,..lr vur: Ct:t. t Occup~tion ~nd hobbi o s r Pilot }Ul n.irlinoa Tower Operator Civ. I nstruc t o r l'ilot CAA Towr Opur~tor UNCLASSIFil=" .. Corr~ants of Interrogator r e l ative to L~tolliguncu and ch~r~cto r of obsor vor(s) l!ARRATrv::; SlP..ihlARY s General r omarka a .n.t o.pproximataly 2l00P Portland Tower reporte a to Fl i sht Service that an object displ~Aying two red lil~ts lind orse white li,:;ht wa.s seen hovoring just aouth of tho Colunbia. iiiv .r Ylharu tlte Bonneville Power Lines cro s s t ho riv r. Lt appear d to dro? two white flares and seeced to et:t.se closer to Portl&.l:d. rha object hoera d in this are!\ a_?proxilllt4tely thirty (30) cninutan UJ1a then aisappear o d to tho east. Believing the object might bo an o.iroraft 1n enor hSncy, Portland To,,er s t uc ~eci four inoomint; airliners ov=1r the airport. The pilots of thoso four airlir.era su.VI the objaot ar:J t ho i.r na.:.wa and addrasaes are available !'roo !.lr. Cai)tain the pilot of a Uorthwoat i\irlir.e :iartin 202, roporteu thu.t while n;>proaohins Portland troc the eaat he noticed what a i;peart a to b~ ar. aircraft diaplnyin two red li,:;hta and one white light. Sinco thia waa n onstandard lic;htin~; c~.ptain ~atoh...Jd t he object v'ry clcuely. His aightint; of thi s object Yla~ t:t.t 2110P at aJ a..ltitudo o : six (6) thouaand feot ana ho wu.s t:t.pproxi!:lD.toly fivo (5) milea W6St o Sten~aon, . ashington. l ie reported that the object li&.G behir.d him euxi :..li,;htly to the l eft o.mi mair.taiJ!ed thut aaae position u:til Tr outdale. :.hon ove r l'routdalo Captain heard Portland Tower giving i nstructions to othe r aircraft to hold owr th" airport because of an unidont11'1ed flyir<G object drop p ng flarua. u i)On Upon hoarinr.; th1a ini'orm.titioll Captain Thrush turnod or.d hm .drod acd ::.1 ighty ( lc..A)) clegzeea anu atter.LJtv~ to intercept th flyin ~ object diaplayine the two red lighta and ontt white lieht that luld been followillg him. lie reported thut this objeot then turwd to the southetlst am a~poared to pull away from hi!! quite easily. c .. ptain reportod that his 1ndiout\d airspeed was two hundred and ten (210) cilea por hour while he was try nl; to intercept tho object. reported that he aaw the objoot while 1n the traffic pa%tarix pattern in routdale, Orocon. He waa flying at an altitude ot or ~l) thouaand three (3) htu drod teet indicated arxl reported th&t the object a;Jpttared to be five (5) hul'!drod to eight (S) hur.drod taut abo~ him and at an oatL~tod diatance ot twent,y (20) milea to the eaot. tbft only ... 1r Force airoratt 1n the ~ioinity at the time waa a B-29, AF 775g, who was o~o r Portlun~.o.t 2130P at an altitude of aeven (7) thouaand five (5) hundred feet, northbound. l'he pilot wo.a quuat1oned and atnted thut he did not drop aey flarus ana did not oirole o~er Portland and did not aoe t:t.nythin~ u.nuaual UNCLASSIFIEn UNCLASSIFIED For"' No 221 n.i CODY will be wfeuorcted with tl.e r-tet care until octiott it COtriDieted. at which time it will be prepared for d"tructiott in accordance w1th Sec tt on IV. Hq. Office ln1tn.ction No. 11-2. I NCO/AI NG ONCLASSIFIEL. UNCLASSlF\El:J DOWNGRADED AT :J Yli:AR INTERV ; MCAG Fo r M N o 221 ( aev 7S Oct 4 1 Thi CODY will be Mfeguarded with tho gr-te at cot e ""'il octi-le completed, ot which time it will prepared for dMtNcti-ift occordo"ce w ith Sectio" IV. Hq. Office l"atrvctio" No. I 1-2. MCCHOHD FL IC1 .T S :n v r c.:.:; c.c;:~T:.R herd Alr Force Base \'/a shine; t on BJECT: Unidentified Fl~'int; Objects Commandin G ir i.Ia tar i e l Corrunand V~ight-Patterson AF Base , Ohio UNCLASSfFli:.D 1 . The following report of si~1ting of u niden t ified fly - ing objects is suordtted: a . Location and time of s ighting : of Portland, Ore gon, Tr outdale, Oregon, and In t h e v icinit y r.:oun t ~ood, Or ec:on , b. We a ther at the time : Slcy clear, v isibility un- c. 11~'1les, occu pations, and addresses of ,.,it:1esses: (1) Captain pilot trorthv1es t Airlines , address Northwest Airlines Dispatc:"1 Office , ortland, 0re6on. Airpor t , Tower Oper a t or , Portla nd Port Land , Or~gon. Civilian Instructor Skyways, Troutdale , Oregon , Portland 6 , Oregon . wer Operator, Port- Portland , Oreg on. uQs the na~es and addresses r wi t n esses of t his sighting d. Photographs of objects, if available: Photo- of objects a r e not avaiLabLe. ,.,UBJcn 1 Auguzt 1949 Unidentified Flying Objects e. SkdtC~les of object' s COltficuratlon : ~ketc!:os of obj~ct' s confi,:ur~1tion aru not avail:1ble. f. Object sight ed: (1) Number: One. Shape: Undetermined. Size: Undetermined. Color: Object disp layed two red lights and one white lit; .. t. Speed: ~as from z ero to in hundred and ten ( 210) mil e s excess of two Heading: Object maneuvered and hove red in the vicinity of Portl d a~d Tro~tdale for a period of thirty (30) :ninutes and was last seen proceod i ng east. Uaneuverability: Object seemed t o be able to mru1auver as a helicopter (8) Altitude: ~1o ( 2 ) thousand to six ( 6 ) thousand feet. (9) Sound : .r~ot reported. ( 10) Exhaust trail or not: l{ot reported. g. General remarks: At appr oximat ely 2100? Portland Tower reported to ?light Service that an object displaying two red lights and one \"rhits light vras seen hovering just south of the Colu~ia Rive r wh e r e tho Bonneville Power lines cross the river. It app e a red to drop two white flares and seemed to ease closer to Portland. The object hovered in this are a approximately thirty (30) minut e s and ~hen disappear- ed to the east. Be1ievLY1g the object mi3nt be an aircraft in emergency, Portland Tower stacked four incoming airliners over the airport. The pilots of these four airlin~rs saw t h b ect and their names and addresses are available from r ONctt.SSIFIEO S BJECT: Unidentified Flying Objects Captain the pilot of a ~.orthwes -c Airline reported that vrhile approaclli!1g Portland frm:-1 the east h e not iced what a pp eared to b e a n aircraf t dis _Jl c.yint; two red lights and on e wi1i llbht. Since this \'la3 nonstand- ard lightinG Captain watched t h e object ve r y cloccl y . His sightins of t his object was at 2110 P at an altitude of six (6) thousand f eet and h e was appr oximat ely five (5) mlles west of Steven9on, ','/ashint;ton. He reported t h:).t t h : obje c t behlnd h1m =md slic;htly t o the l eft and maintained that position until Tr ou tdale . r.'hen ove r Troutdale G~pt~!n ear d Portl d Tower giving instructions to othe r air- craft to hold ove r the air port because of an unidentified flyinB ob ect droppine; flares. upon heo.rins this infor tttatlon tain turned one hundred and eig!1t y ( 180) degrees and attempted t o L"'ltercep t the flying object dis p layint; the two red lights and one whit e light that had been following him. He reported -chat this object then t urned to the sout h - east and appeared to pull away f rom him quite e asily. Captain eported that h i s indicated airspeed ;as tv1o hundred and en (210) miles per hour Vlhile he was trying to intercept