# February 17, 1949 — Albuquerque, NM — AFOSI Case 24: Vertical Climb, Then Leveled Off

**URL:** https://uapdiscovery.discourse.group/t/february-17-1949-albuquerque-nm-afosi-case-24-vertical-climb-then-leveled-off/494
**Category:** Blue Book Unknowns
**Created:** [February 17, 2026, 12:59am UTC](https://uapdiscovery.discourse.group/t/february-17-1949-albuquerque-nm-afosi-case-24-vertical-climb-then-leveled-off/494 "2026-02-17T00:59:18Z")
**Posts on this page:** 1
**Page:** 1

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### Author: ![jeffknox](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e47c2d/32.png) [@jeffknox](https://uapdiscovery.discourse.group/u/jeffknox)
#### Post date: [February 17, 2026, 12:59am UTC](https://uapdiscovery.discourse.group/t/february-17-1949-albuquerque-nm-afosi-case-24-vertical-climb-then-leveled-off/494/1 "2026-02-17T00:59:19Z")

</div>

February 17, 1949 — Albuquerque, NM  
5:57 p.m. University of New Mexico Professor of Civil Engineering Marvin May sees a brilliant white object in the west at 6° elevation for less than 6 minutes in Albuquerque, New Mexico. The object is first round then shifts to an ellipse as it approaches, then it appears to be elongated like a bent pipe with corners, one full moon in length. It makes a slight climbing turn to the north, shifts to peach color as it makes a rapid sharp turning climb to the south, disappearing in cloudless sky by diminishing in size and brightness. At the same time, 100 guards at Sandia Base, New Mexico, including the officer of the guard, see a yellow-orange cigar-shaped object for seven minutes. [Eberhart]

Case 255 (Marvin May):

 ![02171949-AlbuquerqueNM-BBCard-Case255](https://canada1.discourse-cdn.com/flex011/uploads/uapdiscovery/original/2X/0/08c6191c25a12dfc3dd2e4be952a037978cadd97.jpeg)

 ![02171949-AlbuquerqueNM-BB-Summary-MarvinMay](https://canada1.discourse-cdn.com/flex011/uploads/uapdiscovery/original/2X/3/33c08bb8de4d3ae2c7f12fcc313c709cb23ef506.jpeg)

 ![02171949-AlbuquerqueNM-BB-Summary-MarvinMay-2](https://canada1.discourse-cdn.com/flex011/uploads/uapdiscovery/original/2X/e/e9c8fcb201dee19f7136704d6dd2bc216b49dcb7.jpeg)

 ![02171949-AlbuquerqueNM-BB-Summary-MarvinMay-1](https://canada1.discourse-cdn.com/flex011/uploads/uapdiscovery/original/2X/e/ec42c14a988e78afc1d67b6843671fb0e98adeed.jpeg)

Case 258 (John P Mitchell):

 ![02171949-AlbuquerqueNM-BBCard-Case258](https://canada1.discourse-cdn.com/flex011/uploads/uapdiscovery/original/2X/7/76768dd76de3d8405df707cd8a452f16a2da920d.jpeg)

 ![02171949-AlbuquerqueNM-BB-Summary-Case258](https://canada1.discourse-cdn.com/flex011/uploads/uapdiscovery/original/2X/e/ec226e09f6b3a8217dead6a2c1a6ecdc15f3f9f1.jpeg)

 ![02171949-AlbuquerqueNM-BB-Summary-MSgtJohnPMitchell-1](https://canada1.discourse-cdn.com/flex011/uploads/uapdiscovery/original/2X/f/fb135fc5f40fd78fe7ad7eb77eb1f37daf560e16.jpeg)

 ![02171949-AlbuquerqueNM-BB-Summary-MSgtJohnPMitchell-2](https://canada1.discourse-cdn.com/flex011/uploads/uapdiscovery/original/2X/d/d9cec22950426f61ccaa7be6db2bdde822a1602f.jpeg)

 ![02171949-AlbuquerqueNM-BB-Summary-MSgtJohnPMitchell-NarrativeSummary](https://canada1.discourse-cdn.com/flex011/uploads/uapdiscovery/original/2X/5/557cf3bcf595aae1e6381ad5a8afa64fc4221065.jpeg)

NARA-PBB91-412:

 ![02171949-AlbuquerqueNM-NARA-PBB91-412](https://canada1.discourse-cdn.com/flex011/uploads/uapdiscovery/original/2X/3/31686f175b84c0612c583abb3b71333da70878fc.jpeg)

NARA-PBB88-401:

 ![02171949-AlbuquerqueNM-NARA-PBB88-401](https://canada1.discourse-cdn.com/flex011/uploads/uapdiscovery/original/2X/5/52fddc15e9fec976020b85b6406a4474793ed6b8.jpeg)

Sources:  
“Urgent Call is Issued For Information on ‘Fireball’,” Albuquerque (N.Mex) Tribune, February 18, 1989, p. 1;

 ![02171949-AlbuquerqueNM-The_Albuquerque_Tribune_1949_02_18_01](https://canada1.discourse-cdn.com/flex011/uploads/uapdiscovery/original/2X/3/3bf5d124f4d57eb296445e57302569241c494a59.jpeg)

> **[The\_Albuquerque\_Tribune\_1949\_02\_18\_01](https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-albuquerque-tribune-thealbuquerque/188439007/)**
>
> Clipping found in The Albuquerque Tribune published in Albuquerque, New Mexico on 1949-02-18. The\_Albuquerque\_Tribune\_1949\_02\_18\_01

“Observers of Fireball Quizzed,” Albuquerque (N.Mex) Tribune, February 19, 1989, p. 1;

 ![02171949-AlbuquerqueNM-The_Albuquerque_Tribune_1949_02_19_01](https://canada1.discourse-cdn.com/flex011/uploads/uapdiscovery/original/2X/2/2827ae5ea357146aaa32d74475d0bca48e5de4db.jpeg)

> **[The\_Albuquerque\_Tribune\_1949\_02\_19\_01](https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-albuquerque-tribune-thealbuquerque/188439006/)**
>
> Clipping found in The Albuquerque Tribune published in Albuquerque, New Mexico on 1949-02-19. The\_Albuquerque\_Tribune\_1949\_02\_19\_01

Brad Sparks, Blue Books Unknowns Catalogue, Case 167, p. 50;

 ![02171949-AlbuquerqueNM-Sparks-Case167-p50](https://canada1.discourse-cdn.com/flex011/uploads/uapdiscovery/original/2X/1/1a4c1009e19008a713ee9f4aada9aeeef57fac19.png)

NICAP, “AFOSI Case 24: Vertical Climb, Then Leveled Off”;

> **[Feb 17, 1949; Albuquerque, NM](http://www.nicap.org/albuq490217Bdir.htm)**