Radar detection over Oak Ridge, Tennessee
Document coverPage 1 of 65_HS1-834228961_62-HQ-83894_Section_5 · View original on war.gov
Stuart Adcock, operator of Radio Station WROL in Knoxville, reported detecting an unidentified object on his radar equipment over Oak Ridge, Tennessee on March 1-2, 1950 at altitudes of 40,000-100,000 feet. Naval Reserve and military investigators examined his equipment and observed radar returns but questioned the reliability of both the equipment and operator.
“Stuart E. Adcock, operator of Radio Station WROL, Knoxville, is reported to have detected on his radar equipment an object directly over Oak Ridge, Tennessee, at an altitude of 40,000 feet at 11:15 p. m., March 1, 1950. On March 2, 1950, he advised that his radar equipment recorded an object about 100,000 feet high and approximately 18 miles from his home in Knoxville at 11:15 a. m. on that date.”
Verbatim from 65_HS1-834228961_62-HQ-83894_Section_5 · View original on war.gov
Case details
- Date
- 1950-03-01
- Precision
- day
- Location
- Oak Ridge, Tennessee
- Country
- United States
- Region
- Tennessee
- Branch
- USAF
- Unit
- Radio Station WROL, Knoxville
- Sensors
- radar
- Altitude
- 40000 ft
Resolution
Radar operator's reliability questioned due to inebriation and technical issues with equipment; Naval Reserve radar did not detect object; qualified personnel found equipment not too reliable and operator technically wrong on radar theory.
Source document
Agency: FBI
File: 65_HS1-834228961_62-HQ-83894_Section_5
Case ID: 1950-USAF-ABC2
View original on war.gov →Extracted via LLM. Verbatim excerpt validated.