UFO Forensics: Socorro, April 24, 1964

Forensic ufology doesn’t solve UFO mysteries but, rather, examines UFO sightings (new and old) for subliminal or obscure aspects that might provide a clue or clues to what the enigma may be.

For instance, the April 24th Socorro/Lonnie Zamora sighting is considered by many ufologists (Jerry Clark, David Rudiak, the late J. Allen Hynek, et al.) as one of the best examples of a bona fide sighting of something not exactly normal.



But investigation of the sighting was botched from the beginning (as many UFO sightings have been) by inept scrutiny of the locale and, more importantly, Lonnie Zamora’s account, in his own words, at the time.

Here are some aspects of the Socorro episode that have been shirked, overlooked, or dismissed by UFO researchers……from Lloyd Mallan’s rendition in Science and Mechanics magazine [Volume 37, Number 12, December 1966, “The Mysterious 12” on Page 58] using quotes from Zamora’s description of what he experienced at the time:

“…I heard a roar and saw a flame in the sky to the southwest, some distance away – possibly a half-mile or a mile…

Flame was bluish and sort of orange too. Could not tell size of the flame. Sort of a motionless flame, slowly descending. I was driving the car and couldn’t pay too much attention to the flame. It was a narrow type of flame. It was like a ‘stream down’ – a funnel type – narrower at the top than at the bottom. Flame was possibly three degrees in width – not wide.

Flame was about twice as wide at bottom as at top and about four times as high as top was wide. I did not notice any object at top, did not notice if top of flame was level. Sun was to the west and did not help my vision. Had on green sunglasses over my prescription glasses. Could not see bottom of flame because it was behind a hill. No smoke noted. Noted some ‘commotion’ at bottom – dust? Possibly from windy day --wind was blowing hard. Clear sunny day otherwise…

Noise I heard was a roar, not a blast, not like a jet. It changed from high frequency to low frequency and then stopped. The roar lasted possibly 10 seconds…Saw flame for about as long as I heard the sound. Flame was same color…The sound was distinctly from high to low until it disappeared. My car windows were both down…

After the roar and flame, I did not note anything while going up the somewhat steep rough hill – had to back up and try again, two more times. Got about halfway the first time…the roar was still going on…While beginning the third time…the noise and flame were not noted.

After I got to the top, I traveled slowly on the gravel road westward…

Suddenly I noted a shiny-type object to the south about 150 to 200 yards. It was off the road…It looked, at first, like a car turned upside down…Saw two people in white coveralls very close to the object. One of these persons seemed to turn and look straight at my car and seemed startled – seemed to quickly jump somewhat…

…The object was like aluminum – it was whitish against the moss background, but not chrome. Seemed like it was oblong in shape…

The only time I saw these two persons was when I had stopped, possibly for two seconds or so, to glance at the object. I don’t recall noting any particular shape or possibly any hats or headgear. These persons appeared normal in shape – but possibly they were small adults or large kids…

Stopped my car…got out…and started to go down to where I knew the object was.

Hardly turned around from my car when I heard a roar, a very loud roar. It was not like a jet, not exactly a blast. It started at low frequency quickly, then it rose in frequency to a higher tone and rose in loudness – from loud to very loud. At the same time as I heard the roar, I saw the flame. The flame was under the object. The object was starting to go straight up – slowly up. Flame was light blue and at the bottom it was sort of an orange color. From this angle I saw what might be the side of the object (not end, as first noted). From the flame and roar, I thought it might blow up. The flame might have come from the underside of the object at its middle, possible a four foot area there – this is a very rough guess. There was no smoke, only dust in the immediate area.

The object was smooth – no windows or doors (visible). As roar started, it was still on or near the ground. I noted red lettering of some type, like an insignia, about 2¼ inches high and about two inches wide. Insignia was in the middle of object.

Noted object to rise to about level of my car, about 20 to 25 feet, I guess – and it appeared about directly over the place where it rose from.”

Mallan writes (and Hynek’s report states) that “Police Officer Zamora had started to run in great fear. He stumbled, bumped himself, and lost his glasses. He jumped over the hill…Just then the roaring sound ceased and he heard a sharp toned whine, which started at a high pitch and fell to a lower pitch.”

Mallan continues with Zamora’s own words…

“At the end of this roar was this whine and the whine lasted maybe a second. Then there was complete silence about he object. That’s when I lifted my head and saw the object going away from me. It appeared to go in a straight line and at the same height – possibly 10 to 15 feet from the ground, and it cleared [a] dynamite shack by about three feet. The shack is about eight feet high. The object was traveling very fast. It seemed to rise up and take off immediately across country. The object seemed to lift up slowly and to get small in the distance very fast. It disappeared as it went over Mile Canyon Mountain. It had no flame whatsoever as it was traveling over the ground – and no smoke or noise.

Noted no odors. Noted no sound other than (those) described…”

Mallan writes, “The UFO had left strong physical impressions in the ground. Police Officer Zamora had an explanation for this:

‘When I first saw the object…I saw what appeared to be two legs of some type from the object to the ground…I didn’t pay much attention to the two legs. The two legs were at the bottom of the object, slanted outwards to the ground. The object might have been about three-and-a-half feet from the ground at that time. I just glanced at it.

…when I got out of the car, I heard two or three loud thumps, like someone possibly opening or shutting a door hard. These thumps were possibly a second or less apart. This was just before the roar. The persons were not seen by me when I got up to the scene area.’

Mallan writes, “Officer Zamora is suggesting that the ‘thumps’ were caused by the ‘two persons’ entering a vehicle and slamming the hatches closed after them – although no doors or windows were observed.”

The italics above are ours, showing what a forensic study should consider.

We have suggested, elsewhere, what we think and know to have happened, but a more thorough study needs o be undertaken, of the Socorro case and other sightings that have been given only cursory examination by ufologists.

We’ll provide a forensic exegesis of Socorro upcoming, along with other sightings that need a serious perusal.