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
123	1949/6 Oct	1800 1845	1	Unk	Mescalero, New Mexico 180 above horizon Green	None	7-9 secs	None	Round	1/2 size of thumb at arm's length	Moving slowly	Disappeared behind a hill	(1)
124	6 Oct	1758	1	R	Alamogordo, New Mexico	E to W Straight angular descent	Bluish white possibly lt. green tinge	None	4 secs	None	Circular	3 times the size of Jupiter or Venus	50 per sec. (1)
125	6 Oct	1800	1	Unk	Alamogordo, New Mexico 4020' to 705' Green	None	5-6 secs	None	Round	Size of baseball at arm's length (1)
126	6 Oct	1750	1	R	Albuquerque, New Mexico	E to W Curved descent approaching vertical	Greenish white	None	1 sec	None	Similar to very flare	1/2 size of thumb at arm's length Abrupt	(1)
127	6 Oct	1750	1	R	Wagon Mound, New Mexico	E to W Horizontal	Greenish white	None	3-4 secs	None	Round	11/2"-2" in diameter	App. that of meteor	Went out like electric light	(1)
128	6 Oct	1758	1	Unk	Albuquerque, New Mexico	NE to SV At tail end of its course it arched over and fell	Brilliant green	None	10 secs	None	Tear drop Seemed to burn out	(1)