THINK ABOUTIT UFO|UAP SIGHTINGS REPORT

1952: Two MATS Pilots Watch a Bright White Object Hold Over Washington, D.C. Five Months Before the Capital’s Radar Flaps

At about 8:30 p.m. on February 12, 1952, the pilot and copilot of a MATS C-47 on a local flight from Andrews AFB, flying at 8,000 feet between Friendship Airfield and Baltimore, saw a bright white object about one-sixth the size of the rising moon, 8 to 10 miles away, with no streaks, beams or glow. It moved slowly for a moment, then accelerated very rapidly and disappeared to the southwest of Washington within two minutes.

About half an hour later, 10 miles south of Baltimore, they saw it again. This time it approached Washington from the south and east, made a left turn toward the city, held its position 2 to 3 miles from Washington for about a minute, and vanished almost at once. Air Force intelligence compared the case with a December 28, 1951 report that had turned out to be a helicopter carrying experimental lighting, but a check of local traffic found no helicopter in the area. This Baltimore, Maryland UFO case, from the MATS and Blue Book files, was filed as Aircraft.

Date: February 12, 1952

Sighting Time: About 2030 EST and about 2100 EST (the live page gave 9:30 and 10:00 p.m.)

Day/Night: Night; the rising moon was visible

Location: First sighting between Friendship Airfield and Baltimore, Maryland; second about 10 miles south of Baltimore, looking toward Washington, D.C.

Urban or Rural: Airborne over the Baltimore–Washington corridor

No. of Entity’s: Not Applicable

Entity Type: Not Applicable

Entity Description: Not Applicable

Hynek Classification: NL (Nocturnal Light)

Duration: 2 to 3 minutes on each occasion

No. of Object(s): 1 (seen twice; the report treats it as the same type of object)

Description of the Object(s): A bright white object with no trailing streaks, beams or glowing characteristics, about one-sixth the size of the rising moon

Shape/Size/Color of Object(s): Round-appearing bright white light; about one-sixth the apparent size of the rising moon

Distance to Object(s): 8 to 10 miles on the first occasion; 15 to 20 miles on the second

Height & Speed: Estimated 7,500 to 8,500 feet; moved slowly for a moment, then “accelerated very rapidly”; on the second occasion it appeared to hold position for about a minute. The C-47 was at 8,000 feet

Number of Witnesses: 2 (Capt. Ellis M. Woodward, pilot and an intelligence officer, and Maj. Clifford G. Noeller, copilot), both experienced pilots with the Air Resupply and Communications Service, MATS

Special Features/Characteristics: The object accelerated away to the southwest on the first sighting; on the second it turned left toward Washington and appeared to hover 2 to 3 miles from the city before vanishing almost immediately; no meteorological or other explanation was found

Case Status: Blue Book evaluated it as Aircraft; the ATIC status report’s conclusions section reads “None”

Source: MATS Air Intelligence Information Report (Intelligence Division, Hq MATS, prepared by Capt. Robert E. Mullin, USAFR); ATIC status report Appendix IV (Washington, D.C. area); Blue Book list; Sparks #358; FUFOR Index

Summary/Description: Two MATS pilots in a C-47 saw a bright white object accelerate away southwest of Washington, then saw it again 30 minutes later, turning toward the city and hovering for about a minute. No explanation was found; Blue Book filed it as Aircraft.

Detailed Report

The Air Intelligence Information Report from the Intelligence Division of Headquarters MATS, Andrews AFB, says the observations were made by Captain Ellis M. Woodward and Major Clifford G. Noeller, pilot and copilot of a MATS C-47 (aircraft number 5936) on a local flight from Andrews AFB. Both are experienced pilots with the Air Resupply and Communications Service, and Woodward is also an intelligence officer.

They saw a bright white object with no sign of trailing streaks of light, beams or glowing characteristics. At an estimated distance of 8 to 10 miles it appeared to be at 7,500 to 8,500 feet and about one-sixth the size of the rising moon. The object was observed twice. On the first occasion it was traveling very slowly for a moment, then accelerated very rapidly and disappeared to the southwest of Washington within two minutes.

On the second occasion the object approached Washington from the south and east, made a left turn toward the city, and, when within 2 to 3 miles of Washington, appeared to hold its position for about a minute before disappearing almost immediately. The first sighting was at about 2030 hours on February 12 and the second at about 2100 hours. The C-47 was at 8,000 feet. On the first occasion the C-47 was between Friendship Airfield and Baltimore; on the second it was about ten miles south of Baltimore, and the object seemed 15 to 20 miles away. Each sighting lasted two to three minutes.

The report says no activity or condition, meteorological or otherwise, was found that could account for the sightings; no photographs were taken, no physical evidence was obtained, and no interception or identification action was attempted.

In the ATIC status report (Appendix IV, Washington, D.C. area, February 12, 1952), the description of the incident is followed by a note that it was very similar to one reported on December 28, 1951 that proved to be a helicopter carrying experimental lighting. Checks on local traffic, however, did not reveal a helicopter in the area on this date. The “Conclusions” section reads “None.”

RESEARCHER’S NOTES

Times, the Helicopter Precedent and an Aircraft Verdict

Times Corrected. The live page and Sparks give 9:30 and 10:00 p.m.; both the MATS report and the ATIC appendix give 2030 and 2100 EST. This page uses the primary documents.
The Helicopter Precedent. ATIC noticed the resemblance to a December 28, 1951 case that was explained as a helicopter with experimental lighting. The file says no helicopter was found for this date, but does not show the extent of the traffic check.
Blue Book’s Evaluation. The Blue Book February list evaluates the Washington, D.C. case as Aircraft, but the file shows no named aircraft and no traffic record, and the ATIC status conclusion is “None.” Treat the label as an administrative filing rather than an identification.
The Object Hovered Near Washington. The second sighting places the object 2 to 3 miles from Washington, holding position for a minute. That is the main reason the case is cited alongside the July 1952 Washington radar cases, but the February record has no radar element.
Aircraft Number. The report gives the C-47 as aircraft number 5936 (partly smudged on the scan).
Hynek Class. Hynek’s original system has no category for a bright point that hovers; NL is the closest fit. No radar was involved.

The Baltimore case is a clean two-witness pilot report with the times, positions and altitudes written down by an intelligence officer who was also a witness. It is small and unspectacular, but the hover over Washington, the failed helicopter match and an “Aircraft” evaluation with no aircraft identified make it a good example of how the 1952 record was filed.

“The object approached Washington from the south and east, then made a left turn to the city, and when within 2 to 3 miles of Washington the object appeared to hold its position for approximately one minute.”
— MATS Air Intelligence Information Report, February 1952