October 16, 1951 — Whidbey Island NAS, Washington
11:01 a.m. Air Force pilots flying three F-94 fighters out of McChord AFB [now Joint Base Lewis-McChord] and naval ground personnel see a round, gray object flying soundlessly at high speed and high altitude west of Naval Air Station Whidbey Island in Oak Harbor, Washington. Photos taken from the F-94s show the object. After 50 minutes, the aircraft abandon the chase. The Air Force attributes the sighting to Venus. [Eberhart] This was the first major case to challenge Ruppelt’s assumptions about UFOs. The photos were concluded to be of no significance and were not in the file.
Record Card:
Blue Book File:
Sources:
Project Grudge Status Report No. 1;
Brad Sparks, Blue Books Unknowns Catalogue, Case 483, p. 115;
Jerome Clark, The UFO Encyclopedia, 3rd Ed., pp. 391–392;
Jerome Clark, The UFO Encyclopedia, 4th Ed., pp. 436–437;
NICAP, “3 F-94’s Encounter Round Grey Object / Photos Taken”;