Socorro, 24 April 1964: Lonnie Zamora and the Landing
A New Mexico police officer chasing a speeder saw a flame in the hills, then an egg-shaped craft and two small figures. It took off as he approached. Blue Book could not identify it, and it stayed 'unidentified' in Air Force files.
Sources Project Blue Book file, Socorro, NM (NARA); J. Allen Hynek reports; FBI and Army statements, April 1964; Wikipedia, 'Lonnie Zamora incident'
Late in the afternoon of 24 April 1964, Socorro police officer Lonnie Zamora was chasing a speeding car south of town when he heard a roar and saw a blue-orange flame in the hills. He turned off to look, thinking a dynamite shack had blown up. Over a ridge he saw a white, egg-shaped object on legs and two small figures in white beside it. As he drove closer, it roared, rose and flew away low over the desert.
The investigation
A state police sergeant arrived within minutes. Army, FBI and Air Force investigators examined the site and found four shallow depressions and scorched bushes. J. Allen Hynek, the Air Force’s scientific consultant, interviewed Zamora and was impressed by his sincerity. Project Blue Book listed the case as “unidentified,” one of its best-known.
Theories
Proposals over the years include a test of a lunar-lander prototype, a hot-air balloon, and a prank by students at the nearby New Mexico Tech. A 2009 letter attributed to a Nobel-prize-winning chemist suggested the prank, but it isn’t proof. The site is marked by a small sign.
Ledger status
Marked open. A credible single witness, physical traces, and an official ‘unidentified.’ Map position is town level.
Sources
- Wikipedia, “Lonnie Zamora incident” — en.wikipedia.org
- Project Blue Book records, NARA — catalog.archives.gov
Part of the World Ledger, batch 1. Original text; no images are used.
Evidence ledger
Each claim in this file, the source it rests on, and how well it holds up: 3 corroborated · 1 disputed. What the labels mean.
| Claim | Source | Type · date | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| Socorro police officer Lonnie Zamora reported a landed craft and two figures on 24 Apr 1964. | Blue Book file; FBI statements | official · 1964 | corroborated |
| Investigators found depressions and burned brush at the site. | Blue Book; Army investigators | official · 1964 | corroborated |
| Blue Book classified the case as unidentified. | Blue Book file | official · 1964 | corroborated |
| A student prank, or a lunar-lander test or balloon, explains it.No proposal confirmed. | Later proposals | secondary | disputed |
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