UAP Reported at Sandia Base, 1948-1950

This U.S. Department of War release compiles 1949 records tied to Sandia Base, New Mexico. It includes a Sandia Base security inspection reply and a W. D. Crozier letter to Lincoln LaPaz. It also contains Crozier and Seely's report on collecting airborne copper particles after the July 24, 1949 fireball near Socorro, which they judged negative or inconclusive. LaPaz's sixth report on green fireballs disputes parts of that finding, and a Fourth Army report describes unusual lights around the Q Area at Camp Hood, Texas, in March 1949.

From the source:Release of 2026-05-22 Incident: 1948-1950, New Mexico. This file contains 116 pages of documentation from the Armed Forces Special Weapons Program (AFSWP) – the direct, post-World War II successor to the Manhattan Project – and from the U.S. Air Force – relating to a series of sightings and investigations in Sandia, New Mexico, from 1948-1950. This file contains 209 sightings of “green orbs,” “discs,” and “fireballs” reported near the military base. Witnesses reported unidentified anomalous phenomena (UAP) maneuvering, flying out of sight, disappearing, or exploding. The documents also include the results of contemporary investigations into residual copper powder found in some areas where sightings were reported. A few of these investigations became the basis for Project Grudge, which collected reports of unidentified flying objects from various other military installations – also included in this collection.

Summary of Sightings of Unknown Aerial Phenomena, 17th District OSI (cont)

Number	Date	Time	Number of Observers	*Reliability of Observers	General Area of Occurrence	Apparent Direction of Flight	Apparent Altitude	Course Horizontal to Vertical	Color	Train or Trail	Duration of Observation	Sound	Shape	Apparent Size	Apparent Speed	Manner of Disappearance	**Evaluation
101	194910 Aug	22002230	1	Unk	Camp Hood, Texas	S to N	30° above horizon	Level flight	White w/yellow trail	Yes	1-2 secs	None	Oval	Size of shooting star	300 mph or faster	Faded out	(3)
102	10 Aug	2240	1	Unk	Camp Hood, Texas	N to S	8,000' or more	Straight flight with gradual incline	Light red diminishing to light yellow	Yes	2-3 secs	None	Round w/jagged trail	Much larger than evening star Burned up and disintegrated	(3)
103	11 Aug	20302045205221050010	Sev	Unk	Camp Hood, Texas	N to S	45-60° above horizon	Generally a level flight	White	Yes	3-5 secs	None	Flash like a rocket or training flare	Star size	Faster than any plane observed	Went out like a light	(3)
104	12 Aug	0010	2	Unk	Killeen Base, Texas	Due W in arc	45° above horizon	Straight & level flight w/ascent descent describing arc	Bluish white	Yes	10 secs	None	Broken circle resembling signal flare	Head size Sudden disappearance	(3)