Project Blue Book: The Kenneth Arnold UFO Sighting, Mt. Rainier, Washington, June 24, 1947

Background

Kenneth Arnold, shown in 1966 with a drawing of a flying saucer, reportedly spent “many long hours of fruitless flying with a camera, trying and failing to find anything like his saucers again.” (Photo Credit: AP)

The Kenneth Arnold UFO sighting occurred on June 24, 1947, when businessman Kenneth Arnold was flying his private plane near Mount Rainier in Washington State. According to his report, he observed nine unusual, high-speed objects flying in a “V” formation.

Arnold described the objects as flat and somewhat disc-like or saucer-shaped, with a bright, reflective surface. He estimated their speed to be over 1,200 miles per hour, far faster than any known aircraft at the time. His description led to the popular term “flying saucers” being coined in relation to UFO sightings.

As for its significance, the Kenneth Arnold sighting is often considered the event that sparked the modern UFO phenomenon. It brought the concept of “flying saucers” into the public consciousness and led to a surge in reported sightings in the years that followed.

Continue scrolling for more...

You can find the official Project Blue Book files archived below on Arnold’s sighting.

Document Archive

Project Blue Book Cases: The Kenneth Arnold Sighting, June 24, 1947 [61 Pages, 11MB]

 

Follow The Black Vault on Social Media:

This post was published on March 9, 2020 9:41 pm

John Greenewald

Recent Posts

NASA Cites FOIA Exemption to Withhold James Webb Briefing Content Despite Public Hearing

In September 2024, a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request was filed with NASA seeking…

September 3, 2025

FBI Files: Historical Figures & Groups

Background Welcome to the FBI Files on Historical Figures & Groups archive at The Black…

August 31, 2025

FOIA Emails Reveal Pentagon’s Tight Control Over AARO “Historical Record Report” Rollout and Messaging

A new release of Department of Defense (DoD) emails obtained through the Freedom of Information…

August 27, 2025

New Documents Detail Slow, Multi-Agency Vetting of “Skinwalkers at the Pentagon”

Newly released Department of Defense records reveal the prolonged and often frustrating prepublication review process…

August 12, 2025

FAA Records Add ‘Black Cube’ Sighting to Wright-Patterson AFB Drone Mystery

Newly released Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) documents obtained by The Black Vault under FOIA case…

August 11, 2025

FBI Files: Directors, Agents and Personnel of the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA)

Background The Central Intelligence Agency was created in 1947 with the signing of the National…

August 7, 2025