CIA Foreign Intelligence Information Report: Combating Fatigue in Crewmembers / UFO Phenomena, Soviet Aeroflot, 1976

Source file: CIA-UAP-012-Combatting_Fatigue_in_Crewmembers.pdf Originating agency: Central Intelligence Agency, Directorate of Operations, Domestic Collection Division Report number: OO-B-321/33474-76 Classification: CONFIDENTIAL (Approved for Release 2026) Date Distributed: 10 November 1976 Page count: 4 (pages 1-2 rendered; document states 4 pages) VIRIN: 260508-O-D0360-1089 PURSUE Release: 3

Summary

This is a declassified CIA Directorate of Operations Domestic Collection Division Foreign Intelligence Information Report, number OO-B-321/33474-76, distributed on 10 November 1976. The document is explicitly marked "THIS IS UNEVALUATED INFORMATION." The source is redacted. The report covers Soviet Aeroflot's aerospace medical research, including methods for combating crewmember fatigue, automated biological psychomotor testing equipment, and a discussion with a Soviet radiation biologist on UFO phenomena.

Its significance for the PURSUE archive lies in paragraph 6: Dr. Inal Georgiyevich Akoyev, a noted radiation biologist, was asked for his personal opinion on the UFO phenomenon. He stated that 99 percent of such occurrences were traceable to either natural or man-made phenomena — celestial movement, aircraft, or artificial satellites — and that "the other one percent cannot be explained — possibly an hallucination." When the interviewer then asked, "Do you think it is possible...could there be something coming from outer space?", the document cuts off. A more redacted version of this report has previously been available on the CIA's public website.

Research Article

Background and context

Soviet Aeroflot, as the USSR's national airline, was subject to significant state investment in aviation medicine and crew health. CIA interest in this area reflected Cold War concerns about the capabilities and operational readiness of Soviet aviation. This report appears to have been gathered through the Domestic Collection Division, suggesting the source may have been a person with direct contact with Soviet aviation officials — perhaps during a visit or exchange.

The document covers three distinct topics: crewmember fatigue management, automated pre-flight biological testing equipment, and, separately, a discussion of UFO phenomena and cosmic ray phosphene effects on pilots. The UFO-related content is brief but specific enough to be included in the PURSUE Release 3 collection.

Combating crewmember fatigue

The Soviets addressed crewmember fatigue through several methods. First, they emphasized physical conditioning: "If a crewmember is physically fit, he will be less prone to fatigue and will recover sooner after tiring flights." Aeroflot provided exercise facilities at all major airports, supervised by a well-known athlete.

Second, each crewmember was thoroughly tested prior to flight to ensure physical fitness and mental alertness. At the time of the report, these tests were conducted by a medical team headed by a doctor, usually a woman. A crewmember was not allowed to fly if he failed the examination. These tests were being automated and would take only 1-3 minutes when the prototype equipment became operational.

Third, Aeroflot used a "prophylactorium" — a 3 to 4 story building at each major airport, set apart from the main airport buildings but easily accessible on foot, designed to provide total rest and relaxation for transient crewmembers, with a large kitchen and full rest facilities.

The automated psychomotor testing device

Dr. [FNU] Akutin, a cyberneticist at the Civil Aviation Institute of Leningrad, demonstrated a prototype pilot biological psychomotor testing device. The equipment was planned to replace most of the current duties of the medical personnel who examine pilots before flight, and would be installed at all airport flight operations facilities.

The device worked as follows: a small metallic plate, carried by each crewmember, contained a biological baseline for that individual — normal blood pressure, pulse rate, electrocardiogram, and motor ability — coded into the plate and updated annually. After the plate was inserted into the machine, the pilot placed the middle finger of each hand into two small holes and rested his wrists on two small metal plates on a table. Small, automatic pneumatic cups closed around the fingers and inflated; the machine measured blood pressure and pulse rate by comparing the two fingers, computed a mean, and compared the result with the encoded information on the pilot's plate. The systolic and diastolic blood pressure and pulse rate were then displayed in an electronic digital form, and the machine also automatically administered an electrocardiogram displayed on a cathode-ray tube. If any value was outside the normal standard for that individual, a light illuminated and further examination by a medical doctor was required.

The pilot then faced a panel of red and green colored lights and buttons. The lights illuminated in random fashion; the pilot was required to press the corresponding color button immediately to extinguish each light. This test continued for approximately 20-30 seconds, with three separate programs randomly selected to prevent memorization. The machine scored correct and wrong responses. Finally, the pilot was seated before a miniature cockpit with a control stick and attitude indicator; the control stick had to be moved to keep the attitude indicator straight and level. The entire sequence — from blood pressure to control stick evaluation — took approximately three minutes. A pilot who passed all phases received his personal profile plate back along with a certificate card required to board the aircraft.

Phosphenes and pilot UFO sightings

Dr. Inal Georgiyevich Akoyev, described as "a noted radiation biologist," explained the phenomenon of cosmic ray particles (phosphenes) causing Aeroflot pilots to "see" flashes of light during night flying. Phosphenes are light sensations produced by direct stimulation of the visual system by cosmic radiation, rather than by external light sources. This explanation was offered in the context of Aeroflot pilots reporting anomalous visual phenomena during flight.

The UFO question

Paragraph 6 records the only explicitly UAP-relevant exchange in the document. Dr. Akoyev was asked for his "personal opinion of the UFO phenomenon." He stated that 99 percent of these occurrences were traceable to "either natural or man-made phenomena to either celestial movement, aircraft or artificial satellites, and that the other one percent cannot be explained — possibly an hallucination."

When then asked, "Do you think it is possible...could there be something coming from outer space?" — the document as rendered does not include Akoyev's direct response. The document is 4 pages; the final two pages were not rendered in the available PDF excerpt. Whether Akoyev's response to the outer-space question is contained on the remaining pages is not known from the available content.

Significance

This document occupies a narrow but genuine place in the PURSUE collection. Its primary content is Soviet aerospace medicine and pilot testing technology — valuable Cold War intelligence in its own right. The UAP-relevant content is a single brief exchange with a radiation biologist who maintained that almost all UFO sightings have conventional explanations, while leaving open a small unexplained residual — and who responded with some interest when asked about the possibility of extraterrestrial origin. The inclusion of this document in Release 3 suggests the U.S. government assessed the Akoyev exchange as relevant context for the broader UAP disclosure record.

Key People

Locations

Incidents

Notable Quotes

"Dr Akoyev asked for [redacted] personal opinion of the UFO phenomenon. He was told that 99 percent of these occurrences were traceable to either natural or man-made phenomena to either celestial movement, aircraft or artificial satellites, and that the other one percent cannot be explained — possibly an hallucination." — page 2

"Do you think it is possible...could there be something coming from outer space?" — page 2 (question posed to Akoyev)

"Dr Inal Georgiyevich Akoyev, a noted radiation biologist explained cosmic ray particles (phosphenes) which are causing Aeroflot pilots to 'see' flashes of light during night flying." — page 1, Summary