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CONFIDENTIAL
◈ IMAGE AVAILABLE
DoD-B11-011 · 1964-04-24

Socorro Investigation Lonnie Zamora 1964

DoD-B11-011is this archive's internal reference, not an official government file number, and the CONFIDENTIAL tag is an editorial archival label — not a current U.S. classification. Now Declassified is an independent index and is not affiliated with the U.S. government. See the original records via NARA RG 615 / OSD.

DoD◎ Socorro, New Mexico◌ North America#1964◈ Ellipsoid↑ Ground to 200 feet⏱ 5 minutes
EVIDENCE GALLERY

Visual reconstruction and recovered media extracted from the incident dossier. This case includes still evidence and analytical reconstruction.

Representative official gallery image traced to an official public-source archive

MEDIA STATUS
Official gallery media is shown as representative archive context for this case.
SOURCE TYPE
Photo evidence plus archival field-report analysis.
VIEW MODE
Still view highlights silhouette, environment, and encounter geometry.
AT A GLANCE

The Socorro incident is considered the gold standard of physical trace evidence cases. Officer Zamora witnessed a craft take off, leaving burn marks and physical depressions USAF investigators were unable to explain. Project Blue Book ranked it as one of its best-documented unknowns.

PRIMARY WITNESSES
Officer Lonnie Zamora, USAF investigator Hector Quintanilla
EVIDENCE PROFILE
STILL EVIDENCEELLIPSOID
FILE ID
DoD-B11-011
DATE
1964-04-24
AGENCY
DoD
REGION
North America
SHAPE
Ellipsoid
ALTITUDE
Ground to 200 feet
OBSERVED BEHAVIORS
Stationary HoverRapid Acceleration
DECLASSIFIED DETAILS

On April 24, 1964, New Mexico State Police Officer Lonnie Zamora observed a bluish-orange flame descend into an arroyo outside Socorro. Investigating, he encountered an egg-shaped metallic craft on leg-like supports attended by two small figures in white coveralls. As Zamora approached, the figures entered the craft and it lifted off with a loud roar and flame, then departed silently. USAF investigators including Major Hector Quintanilla and civilian scientist Dr. J. Allen Hynek arrived within hours. They documented four precise burn marks and two physical depressions from the craft's landing gear with no explanation for their formation. The craft had also scorched a geasewood bush. A red insignia was observed on the hull. Project Blue Book ranked the Socorro case as one of the most significant 'unknown' cases in the program's 17-year history. Hynek, a career Blue Book skeptic, stated he found Zamora's account completely credible and that the physical evidence was inexplicable by any known aircraft or technology. The case remains unresolved in the USAF official files.

KEY CHARACTERISTICS
  • ›Physical landing gear depressions
  • ›Scorched vegetation evidence
  • ›Red insignia on hull observed
  • ›Hynek credibility endorsement
  • ›Gold standard physical trace case
ORIGINAL SOURCE

This incident is indexed as file DoD-B11-011inside Now Declassified's research layer. The nearest official source trail for this agency points to NARA RG 615 / OSD, where archive records, imagery, or supporting context are published for public review.

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EVIDENCE STRENGTH
MODERATE
Video Record
0
Still Imagery
15
Witness Credibility
5
Sensor Corroboration
0
Physical Evidence
20
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BOOK
The Day After Roswell
Philip J. Corso

Insider claim about Roswell wreckage technology transfer.

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BOOK
UFOs: Generals, Pilots, and Government Officials Go on the Record
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Investigative compilation of military and government testimony.

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DoD-B11-011
DOD-110
DoD-B20-004
DoD-B21-025
DoD⬭ Ellipsoid
UNCLASSIFIED
DOD-110 · 1964-04-24

Socorro Landing — USAF Project Blue Book Physical Evidence Report

◎Socorro, New Mexico, USA

Patrolman Lonnie Zamora observed a white egg-shaped craft land in the Socorro desert, observed two small figures near it, and watched it depart vertically. The physical evidence — four circular landing impressions, burned brush at four locations, and a rock with blue flame residue — was documented by USAF Project Blue Book investigators. Dr. J. Allen Hynek considered it his single best case. The landing impressions were formally measured and preserved. Classified CIA and USAF documents reference this case specifically.

HOVERINGRAPID ACCELERATIONANTI GRAVITY
PARTIAL
◈ MEDIA
OPEN DOSSIER →
DoD⬭ Ellipsoid
CONFIDENTIAL
DoD-B20-004 · 1964-04-24

Lonnie Zamora Socorro — Egg-Shaped Craft Landing 1964

◎Socorro, New Mexico

Project Blue Book's most credible unresolved case. Socorro police officer Lonnie Zamora observed an egg-shaped craft on legs with two figures in white coveralls near a desert arroyo. The craft departed with a roar and flame, leaving behind four physical landing impressions and charred vegetation. FBI and Army investigators found the physical evidence compelling. Project Blue Book director Hynek called it the strongest physical evidence case in the entire Blue Book record.

HOVERINGRAPID ACCELERATIONDISAPPEARED INSTANTLY
PARTIAL
◈ MEDIA
OPEN DOSSIER →
DoD⬭ Ellipsoid
SECRET
DoD-B21-025 · 2004-11-01

USS Princeton Radar — Two-Week Tic Tac Tracking 2004

◎Pacific Ocean off San Diego, California

Two weeks before Commander Fravor's famous visual encounter, USS Princeton radar operators had been tracking the Tic Tac UAP on their Cooperative Engagement Capability system daily. The objects were observed dropping from 80,000 feet to sea level in less than a second — implying acceleration of hundreds of thousands of G-forces. The Princeton's senior chief petty officer Kevin Day later testified publicly that his chain of command was informed and that the two-week tracking period was deliberately excluded from the official investigation. The extended tracking makes the Nimitz event far more significant than the brief Fravor encounter suggests.

HOVERINGRAPID ACCELERATIONTRANSMEDIUM
STRONG
◈ MEDIA▶ VIDEO
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← EARLIER CASE
Socorro, New Mexico — Lonnie Zamora Landing
1964
LATER CASE →
Lonnie Zamora Socorro — Egg-Shaped Craft Landing 1964
1964