DOW-UAP-D156, Air Intelligence Information Report, Guam, 1956
This document is an Air Intelligence Information Report (AIIR), a standardized U.S. Air Force reporting form used to record raw information of potential intelligence value for later analysis. The form served as a primary vehicle for U.S. Air Force field intelligence collection throughout the early Cold War, until defense-wide reporting standards were established in the early 1960s. This AIIR records a December 31, 1956, incident in the vicinity of Guam in which the pilot of a U.S. Air Force F-86D aircraft reported observing an unidentified aerial blinking light. The report notes that a lighted weather balloon had been launched before the sighting and states that, if the balloon had malfunctioned and remained at a relatively low altitude, it could possibly explain the reported object. It also indicates that the preparing officer did not regard the balloon explanation as sufficient unless that condition applied. All descriptive and estimative language contained in this report reflects the reporter’s subjective interpretation at the time of the event. Such characterizations should not be interpreted as a conclusive indication of the presence or absence of any intrinsic object features or performance characteristics.
The summary above is sourced from the released file metadata as published to war.gov. The analysis sections below are original to this tracker.
Text of the document
Machine-extracted from the PDF war.gov published (its text layer or OCR), so expect errors, especially in names, numbers and handwriting; the PDF is the authoritative copy. Lines that did not extract as readable text are left out. Showing about 1000 words from pages 1, 2, 3, 4 of 5.
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AF FORM 112 AIR INTELLIGENCE INFORMATION REPORT (u) Unidentified Flying Object Report AREA REPORTED ON I FROM (AgD, lnc11)FEAF l. This report forwards infonnat ion received by message from Comm1nder, ?th Air Force (Ad need) Guam, l . I., concerning an unidentified aerial blinking li ht observed by an F-86D pilot flying in the Guam radio range ho ding pattern on the night of Jl Dec 56, 2. Furth er investigation determined that a lighted weather balloon had been launched one hour and thirty-eight minutes (1 :,38) prior to the sighting . The balloon was loot from the vie-w of the ground station one hour and ten minutea (1:10) prior to the incident. 3. Unless the ligb.ted balloon which was launched prior to the sighting mal functioned and remained at a relatively low altitude, the Unidentified Flying Object can not be readily explained. of Collections tiOTE: THIS DOCUMENT CONTAINS INFORMATION AFFECTING THE NATIONAL. DEFEtiSE OF THE UNITED STATES WITHIN THE MEANING OF THE ESPIONAGE ACT. 50 U.S. C.- 31 /\NDS2.A$AMrnDED. ITS TRANSMISSION ORTHE REVELATION OF I CONTENTS IN AN.Y MA'.NNER TO AN UNAUTHORIZED PERSON IS PROHIBITED BY LAW. IT MAY NOT BE REPRODUCED IN WHOLE OR IN PART. BY OTHER T UNI ST TES FOR AGENCIES, EXCEPT BY PfRNISSION OF THE DIRECTOR OF INTELLIGENCE, USAF.
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AIR INTELLIGENCE INFORMATION REPORT PAGE OF '-/ PAGl'S pattern sighted an unidentified blinking white liEtit. Following is a copy of the unclassified message forwarded from Commander, 7th Air Force (Adv.&nced), Guar:i, Marianas Isl.ands, as a result of the sighting: 11 The following report submitted in accordance with para.graph 7, AFR 200-2, I. Blink:in- white light (remained constant for approx:imately four (4) seconds then blinked off and on quickly remaining constant agein for the sn:rr.e amount of time). Part 2. A. Object pcssed under aircra.ft while it -was in a holding pattern on the Guam range. It came from a ,.,.,-ester1y heading. B. Az:imuth "'as thirty (JO) degreeB rig•1t, elevation abou 25 degrees low. C. Pilot turned with th object and descended so az:imuth and elevation was no D. The object came in from a westerly heading and pilot, thinkint; it wa5 a B-47, turned down and into the object. The object proc e d to turn with the ircraft. Pilot began to get suspicious of object when he W<:1s unable to close With it and it continued to turn with him on the turn. The pilot knew there were no otl1er fighters airborne at the t:ime and other aircraft stationed 1n the vicinity could not turn outside tl e F-86D• s turning radius. The object passed between the interceptor and th" city of Agana., Guam., and at this time no silhouette was seen. The object proceede it cl:imbed to about 30.,000 'hSL and came dh'ectly over interceptor. Pilot turned aircraft to keep it :in sight and it sta.rted circl~ h:llll.. Tl1e interceptor was pl&ced 1n afterburner arxi turned into the co j ect trying to head it off. t continued to turn around airer ft and he was unable to gain on it or close with it. Then it proceeded west at rircraft altitude and returned over fighter at 10 to 15,000 feet high. Pilot again turned to keep it :l.n sight and it circled fight.er again. At this ti.me pilot had break oi'f and return to Andersen Air Force Base due to low fuel remaining. E. Contact was lost when pilot returned to base. Part 5, In aircraft over Guam radio range. NOTE: THIS DOCUME~T CONTAINS INFORMATION AFFECTING THE NATIONAL DEFENSE OF THE UNITED STATES WITHIN THE MEANING OF THE ESPIONAGE ACT, SOU. S. C.- 31 AND32. AS AMEN DED. ITS TRANS~IISSI0N OR THE REVELATION OF ITS CONTEtffS IQ! ANY l.1ANNER TO AN UNAUTHORIZED PERSON IS PROHIBITED BY LAVI.
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AF FORM 112-PART II AIR INTELLIGENCE INFORMATION REPORT FROM (Agei;c,) REf'ORT HO. DI FEAF ATILO IR-7-57 PAGE 3 OF 4 PAoES B. Brunson, Ted, First Lieute ant, 41st Fig)lter-Interceptor Squadron, alert pilot, observ r considered very reliable, no other supporting. miles plus . Part 8. one. Part 9. Tried to get type and shape and to observe the object. Succeeded on y in keeping it in sight. Part 10. No other traffic known. A check of all fields and control stations Fighter-Interceptor Squadron. Co:nmmts: Submitted without comment. balloon had been launched at ll+32Z 31 Dec 56 by the U. S. ·eat.her Bur au at the U. S. avy Communications St tion (13°13 11: - 1440501E). The balloon was la t tracked five 'J.'11e obaorving pilot was again questioned and he stated that he did not believe th& t the OB was 2. •eather balloon b"ecause the UFOB maneuvered with the F-86D and ccel 3. For convenience in ev~luatl.1".g this report, a sketch of the general locality of the incident follows: NOTE: THIS OOCUMElff CONTAINS INFORMATION AFFECTING THE NATIONAL DEFENSE OF THE UNITED STATES WITHIN THE MEANING OF THE ESPIONAGE ACT, 50 U.S. C.- 31 AND32. AS AMENDED. ITS TRAl'ISMIS5I0N OR THE REVELATION OF ITS CONTENTS IN ANY MANNER TO AN UNAUTHORIZED PERSON IS PROHIBITED BY LAW. IT MAY NOT Bt REPRODUCED IN WHOLE OR IN PART, BY OTHER TH UNI EO STAT R.F CE AGENCIES, EXCEPT BY P£Rr-.1ISSlON OF THE DIRECTOR OF INTELLIGENCE, USAF.
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AIR INTELLIGENCE INFORMATION REPORT FROM (Aaencu) REPORT rm. PAGE OF PAGES 4. The check on the lighted weather ball oon showed that it was launched at 14322 and had ascended to 20,000 feet at 15002. It as lost fr vie at that t:im . It ' s ascension rate as somewhat slower than standard . onnally a weather balloon would be near the Z7 , 500 foot level twenty-eight (28) minutes after launching. 5. If the weather balloon had ascended no ally, it would have been much higher tha!l the altitude of the reported sighting . If the balloon had malfunctioned and leveled off or descended, it could possibly explain the reported UFOB. ALAN G. POUND Captain, USAF Air Tech Intel Liaison Of~ic r COI'-' •NTS OF THE APPROVTtG OFFICER :
Where this file fits in the PURSUE archive
This file is one of DoD's 282 files in the Trump PURSUE disclosure. Within the DoD agency block it ranks #162 of 282 by Anomalousness Index. Across the entire 478-file archive it ranks #286 of 478.
That places it in the lower-scoring band of the archive (286 of 478 by score), typical of investigative-record style files where the report is paper-based rather than instrumented.
Anomalousness Index: 56/100
Evidentiary weight that this encounter remains unexplained after conventional analysis. Not a probability of extraterrestrial origin - that number is not honestly computable from the released files and this tracker refuses to publish it.
🤖 AI-ASSISTED SCORING · methodology
The six rubric components break down for this file as follows. Each component has a weighted contribution to the final score; the per-component explanation below describes what this file's particular value on that component means in the rubric's framework.
Reported by a witness with no instrumented record. The lowest tier in the rubric's sensor axis. Eyewitness perception in field conditions, even when the witness is highly credentialed, scores below capture by any instrumented modality. This report reached the federal record through the Department of War.
Trained U.S. military personnel reporting from an operational mission context. A high witness-credibility tier, ranked in the rubric below astronaut, trained-aviator, and federal-agent testimony. This is the witness profile shared by the entire AARO-submitted infrared-capture cluster that anchors the 66-point score band.
Single-witness or single-instrument capture. This is the corroboration tier for the overwhelming majority of the PURSUE archive on the released metadata - the rubric records the honest limit of the underlying record rather than inferring multi-witness corroboration that the released summaries do not establish. A small number of files with an independent second witness or instrument score on the multi-witness/multi-instrument tier above this one.
No kinematic measurements - speed, acceleration, vector - are published in the released file with sufficient precision to score on the kinematic axis. The rubric does not infer kinematic anomaly from narrative observer estimates. Every file in the archive carries this value, which is itself an observation about the disclosure: kinematic-grade telemetry was not part of what was released.
A conventional candidate explanation has been considered but is not dispositive. Every file in the archive scores this way - reflecting that the underlying release metadata systematically caveats strong determinations in either direction. The released summaries warn against reading them as conclusive analytical judgments, and the rubric respects that.
Released as open after formal review by the originating agency. The file passed through a review process and was published in that posture - a stronger disposition signal than 'unresolved with no review,' because review has occurred and the open status is the agency's published conclusion.
Bottom line on the score: the Anomalousness Index of 56/100 reflects evidentiary weight that this specific file's encounter remains structurally unexplained by the rubric's six axes - it is not a claim that the underlying event involved anything non-conventional, and it is not comparable across rubrics that use different weights. For the full per-axis weights and the rubric JSON, see /methodology.
Related files in DoD
Other PURSUE files in the same category, ranked by Anomalousness Index.
DOW-UAP-PR024, Unresolved UAP Report, Middle East, 2023
DOW-UAP-PR072, "ADMINISTRATIVE REVISION: IIR 1777 J0032 22 Kazakhstan - UAP in the vicinit…
DOW-UAP-PR106, Unresolved UAP Report, Eastern United States, 2020
DOW-UAP-PR108, Unresolved UAP Report, Western United States, 2020
DOW-UAP-PR109, Unresolved UAP Report, Eastern United States, 2015
DOW-UAP-PR110, Unresolved UAP Report, Eastern United States, 2020
Verification
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