January 22, 1952 — Murphy Dome Air Force Station, Alaska
12:20 a.m. At a northern Alaska outpost, Murphy Dome Air Force Station, radar captures a UFO traveling 1,500 mph at 23,000 feet. When an F-94 is sent to intercept, the target stops, slows down, reverses course, and heads directly for the radar station. It comes within 30 miles, then disappears from the screen. The F-94 heads back to refuel, and a second fighter is scrambled. This pilot gets a strong radar return. At first, the object is almost stationary, but then it dives suddenly, at which point ground radar picks it up again. A third F-94 is sent up, also tracks the object on radar, and closes to within 900 feet. At this point, the pilot pulls away to avoid a collision, as the UFO is nearly immobile. Since none of the pilots obtained a visual sighting, the Air Force concludes that the radar returns are weather-related, although the pilots strongly dispute this. [Eberhart]
ATIC Report:
Sources:
Edward Ruppelt, The Report On Unidentified Flying Objects, 1956, pp. 123–127;
Brad Sparks, Blue Books Unknowns Catalogue, Case 503, pp. 119–120;
Project Blue Book, Status Report No. 6, April 10, 1952;
Project Blue Book, Status Report No. 7, May 31, 1952; [Case Explained]
Carl Sagan and Thornton Page, eds., UFO’s: A Scientific Debate, Cornell University, 1972, p. xxi;
NICAP, “Alaskan Radar Case”;
US Air Force, Projects Grudge and Blue Book Reports 1–12, NICAP, 1968, pp. 138–139;
https://www.nicap.org/docs/pbbsr/nicap_pbr1-12_srch.pdf