Anchorage: Maj. Graham sees gray balloon-like object
On July 12, 1947, at 6:30 p.m., USAAF Major Edward Graham and others at Elmendorf AFB in Anchorage, Alaska, observed a grayish, balloon-shaped object about 10 feet long moving northwest at 100 mph.
Background
Witnesses and Location
USAAF Major Edward Graham, together with others, observed the phenomenon at Elmendorf AFB (today Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson) in Anchorage, Alaska.
Event Details
At 18:30 a grey, balloon-like object appeared, roughly 3 metres long. It flew at 160 km/h at an altitude of 1,500 feet to the northwest and followed the line of the mountains at a distance of 5 miles. The object moved parallel to the course of a landing C-47 aircraft.
Significance
This 1947 sighting report comes from a period of intensive UFO observation and was documented in Paul Sparks's analysis. It is among the observations by military personnel close to active flight paths, and describes unusual flight manoeuvres.