DOW-UAP-D087: U.S. Air Force Analysis of Flying Objects in the United States — Incident Summaries 1–100

Source file: DOW-UAP-D087_US-AirForce_Analysis-of-Flying-Objects-in-the-US_1-100.pdf Originating agency: Department of War / U.S. Air Force, Air Materiel Command, Wright-Patterson AFB Exhibit number: A528, BACR-CD, Wright Field Dayton; R/S S-03537 dated 3-14-49 Classification: SECRET (Approved for Release, Authority NND 917033) Incident range: #1 through #100 Incidents begin: 8 July 1947 Page count: ~200+ (large scan; first 10 pages read) Companion volume: DOW-UAP-D088 (incidents 101–172) PURSUE Release: 3

Summary

This volume is the first half of a systematically compiled Air Force catalogue of unidentified flying object incidents investigated under what would become Project Sign and Project Grudge. Each incident is documented on a standardized "Check-List — Unidentified Flying Objects" form containing 26 data fields, followed in many cases by a narrative remarks section and a list of witnesses. The collection was forwarded to P&O GSUSA under file reference S-03537 dated 3-14-49 (March 14, 1949), classified SECRET.

The earliest documented incident in this volume — Incident #1 — occurred on 8 July 1947 at Muroc Army Air Field (now Edwards Air Force Base), California, at 0930 hours. The primary observer was 1st Lt. Joseph C. McHenry, Billeting Officer in Charge, who observed two silver disc-like or spherical objects moving at approximately 300 MPH at approximately 8,000 feet altitude, heading 320 degrees due north. The evaluation recorded: "Confirmed by other sources." Multiple corroborating witnesses (S/Sgt Gerald E. Nauman, T/Sgt Joseph Ruvolo, and Miss Jannette Marie Scotte) submitted their own check-list entries (incidents 1b, 1c, 1d) for the same event, with consistent descriptions of silver disc- or saucer-shaped objects traveling at 300–400 MPH, reportedly performing maneuvers — including a "tight circle" — that the witnesses stated no known aircraft could execute.

S/Sgt Nauman's witness statement reads: "I have 20-20 vision... I have been flying in and have been around all types of aircraft since 1943 and never in my life have I seen anything such as this."

Research Article

The Check-List System and What It Reveals

The standardized check-list form used in this collection represents an early attempt to impose structured data collection on what was, in 1947–1949, a highly uneven body of witness reports. By capturing 26 fields for each incident — from altitude and speed to odor and "manner of disappearance" — Air Materiel Command created a database that could, in principle, be analyzed for patterns across incidents. The form itself encodes the investigative priorities of the time: maneuverability ("tactics"), apparent construction ("N/S — apparently metallic"), and the presence or absence of exhaust trails were all considered potentially discriminating factors.

The check-lists consistently use "N/S" (Not Stated) for fields where witnesses could not provide information, and the evaluative summary at the end of each entry rates corroboration ("Confirmed by other sources," "Not confirmed," or, in some cases, a specific identification). Two incidents in this volume are noted as "cancelled" (incidents 1a and 1b in the numbering system visible in the file), indicating that the investigative process included quality-control mechanisms.

The Muroc Cluster (Incident #1, July 8, 1947)

The first incident in the catalogue is significant both chronologically — occurring just two weeks after Kenneth Arnold's June 24, 1947 sighting that triggered the "flying saucer" terminology — and operationally: the witnesses were U.S. Army Air Forces personnel at one of the nation's most sensitive aviation test facilities.

The primary account (1st Lt. McHenry) describes two silver disc-like or spherical objects moving at approximately 300 MPH at 8,000 feet, heading north, with no sound. A third object was observed separately performing a "tight circle" maneuver over the north end of the airfield that the witness stated "performed too tight a circle to be any type of known aircraft." All evaluations for the sub-incidents read: "Confirmed by other sources."

Witness Jannette Marie Scotte stated: "I am of good health and sound mind and this was no hallucination." S/Sgt Nauman stated that he was "around all types of aircraft since 1943 and never in my life have I seen anything such as this." The altitude, speed, and tight-circle maneuver ruled out weather balloons to the satisfaction of the military observers.

Scope and Context

The 100 incidents in this volume span July 1947 and extend through early 1949, covering a wide geographic range across the continental United States. The format matches what the Army Evaluation Study (DOW-UAP-D084) described as the ~210 incident database maintained at Wright-Patterson, of which approximately 20% had been explained. The check-lists in this file and its companion volume (D088) constitute the primary source data underlying that evaluation. Together, the two volumes represent the Air Force's working case files for the earliest systematic UFO investigation in U.S. history.

Relationship to DOW-UAP-D088

This file covers incidents 1–100. DOW-UAP-D088 covers incidents 101–172 and is a companion volume documenting the same investigation. The transmittal, classification markings, and check-list format are identical across both volumes, and together they form a continuous numbered sequence.

Notable Quotes

"I have 20-20 vision... I have been flying in and have been around all types of aircraft since 1943 and never in my life have I seen anything such as this." — S/Sgt Gerald E. Nauman, Incident 1d, Muroc AAFld, 8 July 1947

"I am of good health and sound mind and this was no hallucination." — Jannette Marie Scotte, Incident 1e, Muroc AAFld, 8 July 1947

"Its very tight maneuver precluded its being any known type of aircraft." — Narrative remarks, Incident 1d