July 5, 1952 — Hanford Atomic Site, Richland, WA
6:00 a.m. Four commercial pilots flying at 9,000 feet above the Hanford atomic site in Washington State observe a disc just below a deck of wispy clouds directly above their C-46. The witnesses are Capt. John Baldwin, Capt. George Robertson, H. D. Shenkel, and Steven Summers. Baldwin says that the disc stands still at first and then seems to back away and change shape, becoming flat, gaining speed, and then disappearing. Robertson says “we couldn’t pick it up on our radar. We reversed our course and went back, but we couldn’t spot it again.” [Eberhart]
BB Memo:
BB Telex:
Sources:
“Flyers Report Saucers Near Atomic Plant,” Dayton (Ohio) Daily News, July 6, 1952, p. 1;
“Report ‘Saucer’ Over Atom Plant,” Cleveland (Ohio) Plain Dealer, July 6, 1952;
“Pilots See ‘Saucer’ over Atom Plant,” Madison Wisconsin State Journal, July 6, 1952, p. 3;
J Allen Hynek, The Hynek UFO Report, p. 53;
Brad Sparks, Blue Book Unknowns Catalogue, Case 661, p. 145;
Michael Swords, et al., UFOs and Government, p. 149;
NICAP, “C-46 Crew Observe Disc over AEC Plant”;