The Socorro Landing
A police officer chasing a speeding car heard a roar, saw a flame, and found an egg-shaped craft on legs in a gully.
What was reported
On the afternoon of 24 April 1964, police officer Lonnie Zamora was chasing a speeding car outside Socorro when he heard a roar and saw a blue-orange flame in the sky. He drove towards it and saw a white, egg-shaped object on legs in a gully, with two small figures in white coveralls beside it.
As he approached, the object roared, rose and flew away. Investigators found scorched brush and marks in the ground where he said it stood. The US Air Force's Project Blue Book investigated and listed the case as unidentified.
Explanations offered
No explanation has been confirmed. Suggestions include a test of an experimental aircraft or lunar landing craft, and a prank by students from the nearby New Mexico Tech: a note found decades later shows the college's president writing that he had 'good indication' of a student who engineered a hoax. Zamora's honesty has rarely been questioned.
- When
- 24 April 1964
- Where
- Socorro, New Mexico, USA
- Witnesses
- Police officer Lonnie Zamora
- Status
- Unexplained
Famous cases are real, widely reported events. Each file sets out what witnesses said and the explanations that have been offered, without taking a side.