Ground and airborne radar track an unknown off Neah Bay, and an F-86D radar shows it splitting in two (22 June 1954)
This is the strongest case in a 55-page FBI Seattle collection (1952-1960). On the evening of 22 June 1954 the GCI radar site TIMOTHY, near Neah Bay, picked up an unknown target. It was estimated at 200 knots and was seen three times within ten minutes. Two F-86D interceptors of the 317th Fighter Interceptor Squadron (Pronto Blue 1 and 2), on combat air patrol from McChord, were vectored to it. Blue 2's airborne radar picked it up at about 28 miles and saw it split into two "clear distinct" blips at 25,000 ft. Blue 2 descended to 6,000 ft and closed to about six miles at Mach 0.85-0.9 before the blips slid off the scope. Blue 1 held a 20-second contact. Neither pilot saw anything. The 25th Air Division ruled out radar malfunction, weather balloons, ships and known aircraft. It tentatively assessed the blips as true airborne targets, about the size of B-36 or B-52 returns, with "an estimated pullout speed of Mach One or better". The same collection holds other incidents, including the Pasco ground-observer report of 6 June 1954 (p. 22), which are not covered here. *Method note: war.gov blocks this server. The file was read from the original PDF served by the ufotransparency.com mirror. These pages are scans with a badly garbled OCR layer, so pages 30-33 were read from the page images.*
Evidence, in date order (5)
- 22 Jun 1954GCI radar site TIMOTHYsensor dataGround radar tracked the unknown target three times in ten minutes FBI-UAP-D013 (war.gov), mirror page with the official description
- 22 Jun 19542nd Lt Edward E. McBride (Pronto Blue 2)witnessAirborne radar contact that split into two distinct blips FBI-UAP-D013 (war.gov), mirror page with the official description
- 22 Jun 19542nd Lt Hilson L. Sewell (Pronto Blue 1)witnessHeld a 20-second airborne radar contact FBI-UAP-D013 (war.gov), mirror page with the official description
- 22 Jun 1954FBI Seattle memo (SA J. Francis Sullivan)documentRecorded the radar pickup and the split into two blips FBI-UAP-D013 original file, via mirror
- 24 Jun 195425th Air Division intelligence / 20th District OSIofficialAssessed true airborne targets at Mach One or better; radar malfunction ruled out FBI-UAP-D013 (war.gov), mirror page with the official description
How plausible · High
Ground radar and two interceptors' radar tracked the target; Air Force intelligence ruled out malfunction, balloons, ships and aircraft.
- ●●Access Direct observation or instruments.
- ●●No gain sought Nothing to gain.
- ●●Character record Trained professionals.
- ●●Independent convergence Independent sources agree.
- ●●Checkable details check out Released official records.
- ●●Physical traces or official reaction Instrument data or physical traces.
Plausibility weighs how well an account fits where secrecy hides the documents by design, so missing records never count against it. Strength measures what is documented. Assessed 2026-10-23.
On the record
- "an identified flying object was picked up by the Radar station at Neah Bay between 1930 and 1945 this date. The object was 38 to 40 miles S.W. of Neah Bay at an Altitude of 1500 to 2000 feet." (FBI-UAP-D013, p. 30; read from the page image; "identified" [sic]; FBI Seattle memo of 6/22/54 from SA J. Francis Sullivan)
- "The "blip" separated into two "blips" as they were watching. They chased the "blips" for 8 to 12 minutes." (FBI-UAP-D013, p. 30; read from the page image)
- "None of the pilots sighted the objects visually." (FBI-UAP-D013, p. 30; read from the page image)
- "An unknown blip or target was picked up on TIMOTHY radar control scope in Georef LE 1604, estimated 200 knot speed, estimated altitude 15 angles, originally at 0314Z and intermittently thereafter for a total of three (3) sightings by TIMOTHY within a ten (10) minute period" (FBI-UAP-D013, p. 31; read from the page image) (25th Air Division intelligence summary, quoted in the 20th District OSI letter of 24 June 1954)
- "Pronto Blue #2 obtained an airborne radar pickup lower left portion scope, approximately twenty-eight (28) miles from blip or target which separated into two "clear distinct" blips at 0435Z; altitude 25,000 feet." (FBI-UAP-D013, p. 31; read from the page image)
- "Blue #2 attempted to close on 30 degree port heading in attempt to center blip, descending from 25,000 feet to 6,000 feet and to within estimated six (6) miles with speed increasing from .85 to .9 Mach." (FBI-UAP-D013, p. 31; read from the page image) Blue 1 "held pickup for approximately twenty (20) seconds, or three sweeps of AI radar".