Incident · 24 April 1964 · Socorro, New Mexico

Socorro landing (New Mexico, 1964)

Also known as Socorro, Zamora incident

On the afternoon of 24 April 1964, Socorro police officer Lonnie Zamora broke off chasing a speeding car when he heard a roar and saw flame to the south of town. In a gully he saw what he first took for an overturned car, with one or two small figures in white coveralls beside it. Moving closer, he saw a white, egg-shaped object on legs with a red insignia, which rose with a roar and flame and flew away. State Police Sgt Chavez arrived minutes later and found depressions in the ground and burned brush.

Project Blue Book, which at first suspected a lunar-module-type test vehicle, could not place any vehicle at the site and left the case unidentified. It is one of the few Blue Book landing cases with physical traces and a police witness. No explanation has been confirmed.

Sources: Project Blue Book case file, Socorro 1964 (NARA ID 302532129)

Facts and claims

documented Socorro police officer Lonnie Zamora reported a white, egg-shaped object on girder-like legs, with one or two figures in coveralls, that rose with a roar and flame from a gully south of town and flew off to the south. State Police Sgt Chavez arrived moments later and found slight depressions and burned brush. Source: Project Blue Book case file: Socorro, New Mexico, April 1964 (Lonnie Zamora)
documented Project Blue Book carried the case as UNIDENTIFIED: "Effort to date cannot place vehicle at site." FTD found that "the sighting was legitimate and there was no indication that a hoax was being perpetrated". The investigation found no other witnesses to the object, no unidentified aircraft or helicopters, and nothing unusual on radar. Source: Project Blue Book case file: Socorro, New Mexico, April 1964 (Lonnie Zamora)