Pulp Magazine Cover, April 1953

This document is a U.S. Air Force Intelligence Information Report dated April 1953 concerning an unidentified flying object sighting. On April 28, 1953, 1st Lieutenant Ralph R. Scowden, flying a T-6 aircraft through Cajon Pass near Long Beach, California, observed amber-colored circular lights at 7,000 feet altitude. He initially spotted two lights, which he attempted to track as a two-ship aircraft formation. Near Fontana, additional lights joined the group, eventually numbering up to sixteen, forming what appeared to be four-ship formations that maneuvered in uncoordinated patterns resembling sparrows in flight. The lights exhibited no conventional navigation coloring and left no visible exhaust trail. Long Beach tower suggested they might be Navy jets conducting training exercises, though Scowden noted the absence of normal aircraft lighting characteristics.