FROM (Agency) : Laredo Air
Force Base, Texas
REPORT
NO: ATRC
IR-PP-52
1. On the night of 4 December 1952, 1st
Lt. Robert 0. Arnold was flying
locally in a T-28 type aircraft for the purpose of completing AFR 60-2
requirements. After flying in the local area for approximately
two hours, Lt. Arnold returned to the airfield to enter traffic and
land.
Student training in T-33 Jet aircraft was in progress and the landing
period was in session. Lt. Arnold received this information from the
tower and therefore remained aloft until the landing period was over so
that he might enter normal traffic and land.
2. While waiting for permission from
the tower to land, Lt. Arnold
circled the field in a counter clockwise manner and observed the Jet
aircraft in the pattern and landing from an altitude of 6000'. After
approximately 45 minutes of holding a lot, Lt. Arnold ascertained there
were only three Jet aircraft remaining in traffic. A surveillance of
the immediate area around the field to see if any other aircraft
remained aloft was made by Lt. Arnold to determine how much longer he
would be required to hold before landing. It was at this time he
noticed a rapidly moving bluish light at approximate traffic altitude
(1500' to 2000'). It was approximately 8 o'clock low to his position,
which was about two miles southeast of the base at 6000', and the light
appeared to be over the Heights residential area, directly southwest of
the base, and traveling on a southeasterly course. Lt. Arnold
considered
the object to be a fourth Jet aircraft still outside the traffic
pattern until he noticed the absence of position, passing and fuselage
lights.
3. At this point, Lt. Arnold steepened
his turn to the left to keep the
object in sight. The object continued on a southeasterly course until
approximately six miles southeast of Lt. Arnold's position, which was
approximately where he had originally sighted the object. At this time
the object rose immediately to Lt. Arnold's altitude of 6000' and began
a wide sweeping counter clockwise orbit of the Air Base. The terrific
speed of the object still led Lt. Arnold to think it was a Jet aircraft
until he realized from previous Jet experience that the speed should
have been considerably dissipated after such a maneuver. At a position
approximately three miles north of the airfield in the objects orbit it
immediately descended to approximately 1500 to 2000' again continued
its orbit to the left around the city of Laredo, Texas, until it
reached approximately the center of the business district, at which
time the object made a very rapid flitting ascent due south to
approximately 15,000'. the rate of climb was terrific. At this point,
the object was approximately 6 to 8 miles southwest of Lt. Arnold's
position (which was directly over the ramp on a southerly heading). The
object then turned eastward and immediately descended to Lt. Arnold's
altitude of 6000' again and proceeded eastward until approximately 6
miles southeast of the base again and it seemed to stop as if it were
hovering, going straight away or coming straight toward Lt. Arnold's
aircraft. At this time, Lt. Arnold added full power and declined the
pitch of his aircraft to proceed directly southeastward toward the
object. Lt. Arnold's intentions sere merely curiosity. Approximately
two
seconds after this action was taken by Lt. Arnold, the object appeared
to close at a terrific rate in a head on approach. At approximately 100
yards in front of Lt. Arnold's aircraft, the object seemed to waver
slightly in a vertical plane as if determining on which side of his
aircraft to pass. The object passed very closely off the left wing of
Lt. Arnold's aircraft within a distance of 50 yards and Lt. Arnold
noted
a blurred reddish-blueish haze of undetermined size and shape, but
definitely no larger than his aircraft. This action happened so rapidly
that Lt. Arnold was unable to take any evasive action. Immediately
after
the object passed, Lt. Arnold broke sharply to the left in order to
keep
the object in sight. The object rapidly made a flitting ascent again to
approximately 15000' and circled to the left and began to descend as if
positioning itself for another pass on Lt. Arnold's aircraft. At this
point, out of sheer fright, Lt. Arnold turned off all his running
lights
and spiraled steeply to the left, keeping the object in sight, and
leveled off at 1500'. At this time the object seemed to level off from
its circling descent towards Lt. Arnold's aircraft, turn sharply to the
right on a southerly heading and made another rapid flitting ascent
into the atmosphere until out of sight.
4. The objeet was observed by Lt Arnold for approximately seven minutes
and the exact time of the head on pass was 2053. The object
has been referred to as an object because it was identifiable only by
the small flickering blueish light bywhich the observer was able to
track its flight path. The size of the light was described by the
observer as approximately 1/2 the size of the glow emitted by a normal
position light on a T-33 type aircraft. Its speed was estimated
to be in excess of 500 MPH, and its maneuvers, which consisted mainly
of rapid flitting ascents and descents, were unusually outstanding
because they were certainly not conventional.
5. The observer parked his aircraft on the Laredo Air Force Base ramp
at exactly 2105 and shortly thereafter reported the incident to the
proper authority.
6 Sketch of observer's flight path and the object's flight path
is attached.