DEPARTMENT OF THE AIR FORCE HEADQUARTERS UNITED STATES AIR FORCE WASHINGTON lJNCLAS~la" _... THI IN81'1CTO" GINIAAL UIAI' t4TH DIIT .. ICT O ICI: OF' SPECIAL INVt:tTIQATIONS LOWAV AI .. F'O .. CE BASE, Dt:NVEn, COLO .. AOO SUSJECTa S IG:ITHrG OF U}TIDZ.r:'I~I:m '?\3T :~OVING FLL\?.:g AT LC':iRY \F BASE, by 1st Lt. A. P . ~"iEBB on J~WARY 1950 SP~IAL IUQUIRY -Ut~C0NVE)iTtDnAL A..IRC~AFT TO: Co.nmanding ~sneral Air ~teriel Co nd Wright-Patterson AF B~se Dayton, Ohio ATTU : !!C IAX0-3 Transmitted are t~o (2) cooios of the r eport cf 3?ecjal Agent FREDERICK F . HANS~l, OSI District Cffi,. e -!fol 4 , 'subject and f ile as above, 24 Januar,y 1950 DOWNGRADED AT ~1 Yf.i:\P. T~'TF.nVALS; . . . .. UNCLASSIFiED AT Lcr;;ay AF B:\S.S, DENVm, COLOttAOO 1. Thia .. 1,.a a . joint inyeatigation ,or S9eoial ~6ent F~ED:!RICK K .. UNGERER . ~ .. .: _ . 2 . This ~vestiga:tion_;was predicated ugon tele phonic rei?ort by. 1-st Lt '/-.~ ~o advised thit.t.i01Jb.ile"tlyi:lt in e.' vicinity of Denver _durin~ the evening .... . ! ._r. ~! ot 18 J-um&J7'~p0 he obaex ved .;. !laliie move:aeross the sky at &.,high rate -"' ... . :,.. .~-:~-, : 3 . \IEBB .was ~inteni.ewed: and state~ substan t ially as foll0"-"11 \GBB .~. . . : ... . "':and a Lt. D"3.YSO..U.E were flyi:rg a T-6 a!ld rhen they reache d a point about :- . : ' ::' 15 miles southeaat of Denver~ .he--observed an unusual spoctacle. He s!lw a - ~ lcm5 strealc of f~ame cylind~ioal in sha?e, rounded at ths front and tapored .. ~. : .. ~ .. tO"Rards the rear. It. '.'7as or a :white reddish colQ;:.rr;ith more r'3d in t h e f r ont. .>~: . WIBB stated that 1 t moved, on 8n ~stimated heading of 200 de~rees a.t a "high .. . .' ,rate of s peed wi tho~t apparent chang e in altitud e or c ourse. -~1EaB could , . ~\. ... riot estimate the d istance ~o the flame f rom hi a aircraft, - but.esti mated . . -... .... -~ the length of .. it. as 100 fe-at . The flllme remained in sight for abou t 5 -= : seconds and thsn faded out. The.-altitude oi' the f lame .vas astima ted as . . .' :~ >. about 5000 feet higher than t h e observer. ';'lEBB was unable t o sa.e a:t17 ,: ... ~, .';-~ . running; light, _ si:lq':lette or. other featur~s. 7iEBB noted th'e time of the ' ~ 4 . 1st-Lt. :OOUGLAS R~ DRYSDAlE; AO 755895, 3416th Student O.f'ficars' , . t. ~- Train in; SquadrOn.. stat9d ~ubstant!ally the same a s ft'"E3B. DRYSD.U,E described .-_. , the flame in the same general ,terms .. as ';'/'EBB but added t h3.t it looke d just . . . '' .. ~-~ .. ~.:like a:. shootin~ ~tar on a flat trajectory .. ~-4ecord~ng 't o DRY~.AiE the .: ~ , ~ .... ! : time of the -~::laerntion was 1905 and he estimated 'the flame to be at an, .... : ' . ~ . "!_. .: . 5. ";;EBB and DRYSDALE' both gaTe their aircraft heading as -190 -degrees , "- . -;,.'_.~: .. and t heir altituc;le as ssqo~feet . -'Both stated they Wel'e.on inte~hone a.nd :. : . . : thus notl!d .no unusual radio noises at the ti!!l.e of .the observation. Both , .... .:.-:.aircraft in th& Ticinity of . L.;. Junta, Colc:: ado on the oi1enin~ of 18 January . . . ., > 1950 . D.\!tiEL and ROMB G-were interviEned and both stated that the" h.9.d . . :,'t obs9 rved a flame- o r li6:1.t. noving-across t:1.e sk."Y -v er"j' :'1st. D.\:a};!. sa-;, "the : flam~ ap;?<:la r at his left anC. mo-ve acros3 his l_)c>.th. lie nu':!:ed ~0?.3E'RG -. .,ho th3n S?.W t'rle ."lame too. DA.fiE!. end R0.:JE33G w!ltched the fl E..":ie f a(!e out at their right. Both 9ilots esti~ated t~e fl e to b e on a he~d o f 200 .. de~rees. 'Ihe flame -:7aS cescri':Jed b y both ~3 l{r.;ht olue '.'!ith a tin;~ of oran?,e a..J.d quite lon$. B:>th stated t :'ley c auld n o t e s t :.rn.ata the s i ze of the flrur.et' or-its distance f rom th&i.r ~.irc!"aft. They estir::ated t'='.e o.l t i tude DETAILS (oontdr ... UNCLASSI&-J ELl ~.~ head1DC ot liOde-.;rees and an alti-tude of 10,000 feet. The flame :as : :: . si~hted at 1905 and was visible for 15-20 seconds. D~1 IEL stated the c..,47 :~,.,as a.bout-tmm.tnu.tea-out of La Junta and ROMBERG gave the position as h3l! : way betweett Ca~azoado. Spr.inga .,cl La Junta. ~ , . . . . >.~:. 7~8A. 3416th Student Officers' Squadron \vere flying a C_.4J type ~rcraft ' .;f".J.,'oo. :the eveninc ;otl8 January-1950. KREITZ sts.ted in an interview :that he ~ ~t .. _ observed-.w_ba~:.appes.red to be a._ meteor but larger and s10\!'er ancb,.maintaining :. ;.: '\'t~t,level tlight"..:~DEITZ described it as!. a flame.: li;;ht blue .to wEi te in color, : .:li .. imilu t 'o thdi .a an:O.:oxy~en torch~ , The -.flame was 9.t an. es.timated altitude . : ,: .t;:.f ot 25,000-:S();;.m-~eat and moving faster thm~ jet-flight~ .KREITZ" estimated .. ::-.. ,~:''the distanoe; .CIII his aircraft:to the 'flame as 35 miles . The C-47 was a.t . - " ~ .. . 9000 feet 'on-ar head in-?; of 60_ degrees at a point about 35 ~iles oorthe'is t .-.~ ".::,:.:..: of Akron, Colorado when the observation \Vas made. The t ime was 1900:-. KREITZ ;: '._:_ -:. stated the f~ar:t& was apparently travell i."'lg on a heading of 240 de.;reea and . A .-, : .; was visible for. about 1 5 second& before it faded out. hlajor. AV3RY did not L 8 . Captain JOffi{ L. EHLINGER, AO 663025 o.l'ld 1st Lt. CLDITOU C. L:r:GG, .; AO 2056029 ~ both of the 3416th Stud~Jnt Officers' Squadr9n, ,J7ere interviewed ~<.:-:... 19 January 1950. Both pi lots advised th::-tt they ~'ere flyin:; a T-6 type:-" ,J .;. aircr!lft at an altitude of approximately l O,O'J::J feet on a heading. of 60 '; . 1 . degrees whe~ at 1858 hours 1 18 January 1950, 3.t a poin~ approxiinately one- .! . . ::;-': : half 7ta:y betw"een Denver and Akron Colorado, th(3'J observed a flrune traveling. : .!: .~ .. .. . at a. hi-:;h rate of S?eed qn a co~rse of. approximately 210 de~raes. LEGG . . .; : . . . .. sta~ed th~t. he observed the fle...'!le for about 20 seconds B.!ld ELLUiGER stated , :~: that he observed it 5-8 seconds. Both pilots es-c"irns.t .ed the e.l titude--or the ~. ";:- . .f'la!U at 12~000 feet. Both d~scribed it as bri five.to . ;, . -: .:-:." :ten '!!':iles away and r..alntaillin~ a :straight even course. The-_flaoe oerely ' .. ; .... ; .. ' <faded i'rom view. F.T.r.r:rGSR esti..'l!lated the len;th t~ b e 50 fet3t and .r-:oo. . .. ~ . .. . . :!:-~.; 9 . The positions ~d headings -of the f ~ur e.f'orementionaa:_ -airora?~:-. ,._._. ;- _ ,. ~-:. . ware ? lu"&"ted on an ovf!r-la...v o~ Seetional .terona:.:.-ci e9.l Charts, '?rihid.ad . . ,.,.., . ' ..!' -~"t~-. ( S-4:; :Jenv~r-('t-4) and Cheyenne (U-4). Adjacaz:~ to e3.ch aircraft an arrow . .: .P .~:._:.~: was plot "t9dJto.showthe appr -t .. position_ and h~ading-of th.e .fl~l!heli ::-.:i"'S'} ~: .. ::. observed. by t~. pilots of the. ; spective s.i rcrtl.~. The aircraft are 1 .. _ ..... numbered on Ehe overlay and.ca.rri-ed pilots a.s follows: .' .-~ : ..... lQSITZ and .\.VEX!~ DA:\!IEL and RCiri3EaG 1"i3BB and D::r!SDALE 10. A chao~<: iVith til.9 iJMver Bomb"' . ;lot, !Jot. A. 3903d i'(S'\dar Bo:nb-Scorin~ Sq., di::;clo~ed ths.t t :1eir :-adar ':Tas not operatL"l~ bet:1een 18~0-203') hours, . 18 January 1930. ll. A c heck w~. th 3ase 09ere. tions, 3415th Technical l'ra.inin; .ling i:!inz; o.ni O~aratim:.3, -md ?li~ht; .::;e:tYice :3aotion, all of' Lovry .-'.FD, ;: UNCLASSiFIED. (co'!lt'd) extension o f ths su ests-~t would pass in v icinity plo~ted i n o f i.Jllome.n Ji' ~7e&.ther oondi tiona; iD area of observation* evenin~ or January , 19:3) ~3re ol~er. and viaibi~it-] un11r.ti'ted. ~So~. Jllight ele c trical ::-~ ~isturbance w,aa.~oted a1on3 thft horizon. IYCtOSU!U:S FOR Ct}, AKC;.. liRIOilT-?ATTERSON !.F B.\S'S,' O!UO copy of overlay of 3ecticnial ~rona uti cal_ Charts OSI, WAsHINGTON D. indic~tedabove) AF 3A.Srf,. indicated above) FOR DO 117 ~-. XIRrLAm .AE "B.:l.3E,. i.nd i oat ed above)