Dept. of DefenseUnresolvedAmbiguous
United Air Lines pilot observes 5-9 disc objects in loose formation — Boise, Idaho (Incident #10)
~Jul 1947Near Boise, Idaho (approx.)
Analysis — our summary
Captain E.J. Smith (United Air Lines pilot) observed 5 objects initially then 4 more (total 9) in a loose formation heading northwest near Boise, Idaho. Objects appeared thin and smooth on the bottom and rough on top. Followed the objects for approximately 45 miles. The sighting occurred near sunset. No further detailed description obtainable due to OCR degradation.
As reported — verbatim from the document
“Number of objects: 5 at first, then 4 more. Tactics: preserved 'loose formation.' Shape: Could not be ascertained but appeared thin and smooth on the bottom and rough on the top. Time in sight: followed them for about 45 miles.”
Analyst notes — caveats & confidence
Exact date within July 1947 not fully readable in OCR. Captain E.J. Smith is notable as a United Air Lines captain who was involved in multiple UFO-related reports in the 1947 period. This is incident #10 in the checklist series. OCR quality is poor for details. Apparent time 9:04 PM near sunset.
Provenance
Source document38_143685_box7_Incident_Summaries_1-100.pdf
Document typeincident summary collection
Reporting agencyDept. of Defense
Source pages209
DeclassifiedFirst public at this release (2026)
Held classified~79 years (≥, to this release)
Extraction confidence ModerateHow cleanly this record could be parsed from the source — driven by legibility & redaction. It is not a measure of how credible or anomalous the sighting is.