RADCAT Case Directory
  Category 9, RADAR  
 
  Preliminary Rating: 5  

                                   
     

RADCAT is a revitalized special project now being conducted jointly by NICAP & Project 1947 with the help and cooperation of the original compiler of RADCAT, Martin Shough, to create a comprehensive listing of radar cases with detailed documentation from all previous catalogues, including UFOCAT and original RADCAT.

Kirtland UFO Incident / Radar Case
Nov. 4, 1957
Albuquerque, New Mexico

Brad Sparks:
Nov. 4, 1957.  Kirtland AFB and Manzano Base/Site A National Nuclear Stockpile, Albuquerque, New Mexico. (BBU)
10:45 p.m. (MST)CAA air traffic controllers R. M. Kaser and E. G. Brink saw a highly maneuverable 15-20 ft egg-shaped object with a white light at its base circle over the W [E?] end of the base at 150-200 mph and come down in a steep 30° dive as if landing on Runway 26, to the N or NW of the tower at about 1500 ft.  Radar tracked part of this maneuver.  Object then crossed flight line, runways and taxiways heading towards the tower at about 50 mph and 20-30 ft above ground, observed through 7x binoculars till it reached about 3,000 ft to the ENE near the NE corner of the floodlit restricted nuclear Weapons Storage Area / Area D/Drumhead Area (Manzano Base/Site A National Nuclear Stockpile), and a B-58 bomber service site, where it hovered for 20 secs-1 min then headed E again, at about 200-300 ft height, then suddenly shot up at a steep climb at about 45,000 [4,500?] ft/min.  Controllers contacted RAPCON which tracked object on CPN-18 radar traveling E then turning S, circling the Albuquerque Low Frequency Range Station then headed N [disappearing at 10 miles and reappearing 20 mins later to circle around ?] to follow 1/2 mile behind a USAF C-46 that had just taken off to the S for 14 miles until both went off scope.  Hovering radar target then appeared to the N over outer marker for 1-1/2 mins before fading.  (Sparks;  McDonald 1968, 1972;  Hynek UFO Exp ch. 7, case RV-3) 1/2 Full Moon ? (2° ? equiv in binocs)

Dan Wilson:
The case is missing from the PBB files as shown here (NARA-PBB1-176). McDonald, was able to get the report somehow.

Fran Ridge:
This would have been scary. Apparently the UFO flew right-to-left along the E-W runway, then turned SW toward the tower, stopping near the nuclear weapons storage area for about a minute. McDonald mentioned that the UFO stopped near the Kirtland "Drumhead Area" where the B-58 operated.. (See report link by Joel Carpenter below). The B-58 Hustler was still in the R&D phase in 1957 and was _just_ beginning its nuclear qualification testing at Kirtland at the time. In fact, the first special nuclear bomb pod for the plane was delivered to the base on 15 Nov 57, eleven days after the incident, and the B-58 arrived to begin drop testing on the 25th.

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