Air Force Project Blue Book Records for Loch Raven Encounter

Introduction

The Loch Raven Reservoir encounter entered the official record because it was not treated solely as a newspaper curiosity or local legend. After Phillip Small and Alvin Cohen reported seeing a large hovering object near Loch Raven Dam on 26 October 1958, details of the incident were transmitted through police and military channels and ultimately entered the United States Air Force’s Project Blue Book system. The surviving documentation does not prove what the witnesses saw, but it does show how the case was evaluated, classified and preserved within the federal government’s principal UFO investigation programme. That documentary trail is one reason the Loch Raven case remains one of Maryland’s most frequently discussed UFO incidents. [National Archives]nationalarchives.gov.ukUFO reportsEarly letters regarding UFO sightings · Correspondence on the Rendlesham Forest incident · Documents on UFO policy and communi…

Official Records illustration 1 Unlike many brief sighting reports from the 1950s, the Loch Raven file contains a combination of witness statements, references to police contact, medical follow-up and Air Force summaries. The resulting record is not extensive by modern investigative standards, but it is substantial enough to reveal both the strengths and limitations of Project Blue Book’s approach to unusual reports. [Ufologie]ufologie.patrickgross.org26, 1958 2230. U.S., Loch Raven Dam Maryland: Two young men observed an egg-shaped object hovering…Read more…

How the Loch Raven report entered Project Blue Book

Project Blue Book operated from Wright-Patterson Air Force Base and served as the Air Force’s central clearing house for UFO reports between 1952 and 1969. Its stated goals were to determine whether reported objects represented a national security threat and whether they could be explained through conventional causes. Most reports were eventually assigned ordinary explanations, but a minority remained classified as unidentified. [Air Force]af.milFrom 1947 to 1969, the Air Force investigated Unidentified Flying Objects under Project Blue Book.Read more… Wikipedia The Loch Raven incident was logged within that system as a Maryland case involving two civilian witnesses near the reservoir and dam area nor [Wikipedia]WikipediaProject Blue BookProject Blue BookProject Blue Book was the code name for the systematic study of unidentified flying objects (UFOs) by the United Stat… th of Baltimore. Surviving summaries place the event at approximately 10:30 p.m. on 26 October 1958 and describe a large egg-shaped object observed near a bridge structure. The file became notable because it included claims that the witnesses’ vehicle lost electrical power as they approached the object and resumed functioning after it departed. [Ufologie]ufologie.patrickgross.org26, 1958 2230. U.S., Loch Raven Dam Maryland: Two young men observed an egg-shaped object hovering…Read more… [The Towson Torch]towsontorch.comthe enigma of the 10 26 58 loch raven reservoir ufo sightingThe Air Force concluded that while the incident did…Read more…

Project Blue Book case references associated with the incident vary slightly across later catalogues and reproductions, a reminder that researchers often work from microfilm copies, index cards and secondary reproductions rather than a single pristine master file. What remains consistent is that the report was formally entered into Blue Book’s records and was not dismissed as a hoax in the surviving Air Force summaries. [National Archives]nationalarchives.gov.ukUFO reportsEarly letters regarding UFO sightings · Correspondence on the Rendlesham Forest incident · Documents on UFO policy and communi… [Internet Archive]archive.orgBrad Sparks Comprehensive Catalog of 1,600 Project Blue Book UFO UnknownsInternet ArchiveComprehensive Catalog of 1600 Project Blue Book UFO…2 Oct 2009 — This is not a list of official USAF designations of “…

Chronology inside the official file

The surviving documentation allows a rough reconstruction of the official reporting sequence.

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Police and hospital documentation

One reason the Loch Raven encounter has remained prominent in Maryland UFO history is that the witnesses did more than simply tell friends or reporters what happened. Accounts associated with the Blue Book file indicate that the men contacted authorities and later received medical attention after reporting facial burning and heat sensations. [UFO Casebook]ufocasebook.comUFO CasebookThe Loch Raven Dam Incident, 1958 - BaltimoreProject Blue Book investigated the case, but found no absolute cause for the app…

The medical aspect is often cited by UFO researchers because it appears to provide an independent consequence of the event rather than merely a visual observation. However, the surviving public record has limitations. Researchers generally refer to the existence of hospital follow-up rather than detailed medical files. No widely available documentation demonstrates a diagnosed injury attributable to an unknown external source. The evidence therefore establishes that the witnesses reported physical effects and sought examination, but it does not establish the cause of those reported symptoms. [UFO Casebook]ufocasebook.comUFO CasebookThe Loch Raven Dam Incident, 1958 - BaltimoreProject Blue Book investigated the case, but found no absolute cause for the app…

The same caution applies to police involvement. References to police notification help corroborate that the witnesses acted promptly after the encounter. Yet the surviving public summaries do not contain a detailed forensic police investigation comparable to a modern major incident inquiry. The value of the police connection lies primarily in showing that the report entered official channels quickly rather than remaining a retrospective story told years later. [WYPR]wypr.orgout there alien invasions and unexplained ufo sightings in marylandWYPRAlien Invasions and Unexplained UFO Sightings in Maryland14 Jan 2019 — Sixty years ago - on the night of October 26 1958, around midn…

What the Air Force actually recorded

The most frequently reproduced Blue Book summary describes two young men observing a large egg-shaped object hovering near a bridge at Loch Raven Dam. The object was reported as roughly 75 to 100 feet long, positioned above the bridge area, and associated with a sudden failure of the witnesses’ vehicle lights and engine. After a brief observation period, the object allegedly emitted a brilliant flash, produced a loud sound and departed vertically. [Ufologie]ufologie.patrickgross.org26, 1958 2230. U.S., Loch Raven Dam Maryland: Two young men observed an egg-shaped object hovering…Read more…

Several details are worth noting because they recur throughout the archival record:

The object was described as structured and relatively close rather than as a distant light.
The encounter reportedly lasted less than a minute.
Vehicle interference formed a central part of the witness narrative.
The witnesses reported physical sensations in addition to visual observations.
The object was said to depart vertically at high speed. [Ufologie]ufologie.patrickgross.org26, 1958 2230. U.S., Loch Raven Dam Maryland: Two young men observed an egg-shaped object hovering…Read more… [NICAP]nicap.orgChallenge of UFOsNICAPChallenge of UFOs - Complete bookOctober 26, 1958; Philip Small and Alvin Cohen, Baltimore, Md., saw a huge egg-shaped object hove…Published: October 26, 1958 These elements later made the case attractive to UFO researchers interested in so-called electromagnetic effects, where witnesses claim temporary failures of engines, lights or radios during a sighting. The Loch Raven report became one of the Maryland examples most frequently cited in that category. [NICAP]nicap.orgChallenge of UFOsNICAPChallenge of UFOs - Complete bookOctober 26, 1958; Philip Small and Alvin Cohen, Baltimore, Md., saw a huge egg-shaped object hove…Published: October 26, 1958

Official Records illustration 2

Why the file remained difficult to explain

The Air Force’s inability to assign a simple explanation does not automatically mean investigators considered the event extraordinary. Project Blue Book’s “unknown” category often reflected insufficient evidence, conflicting testimony or the absence of a convincing conventional solution. Throughout its existence, Blue Book maintained hundreds of unresolved files despite efforts to classify reports into known categories. Of more than 12,000 cases examined during the programme’s lifetime, 701 officially remained unidentified. [Air Force]af.milFrom 1947 to 1969, the Air Force investigated Unidentified Flying Objects under Project Blue Book.Read more…

[In The Loch]amazon.co.ukThe Loch Raven Incident: Maryland's Most Chilling Unsolved…The encounter was reported, investigated under Project Blue Book, and offic… Raven case, investigators faced several obstacles.

First, there was no photograph, film or physical sample. Second, there was no publicly known radar confirmation tied to the incident. Third, the most unusual features of the report—the engine failure, flash and heat sensation—rested largely on witness testimony rather than independently measured evidence. [UFO Casebook]ufocasebook.comUFO CasebookThe Loch Raven Dam Incident, 1958 - BaltimoreProject Blue Book investigated the case, but found no absolute cause for the app…

At the same time, the case lacked some of the characteristics that investigators often used to dismiss reports quickly. The witnesses were named, the report was made promptly, and the narrative remained broadly consistent across later summaries. These factors appear to have prevented an easy conventional classification. [UFO Casebook]ufocasebook.comUFO CasebookThe Loch Raven Dam Incident, 1958 - BaltimoreProject Blue Book investigated the case, but found no absolute cause for the app…

Later archival interpretation

Modern researchers generally approach the Loch Raven file in two different ways. [Wikipedia]WikipediaLoch Raven ReservoirLoch Raven ReservoirLocation of Loch… On October 26, 1958 one of the bridges was the site of a UFO sighting when…Read more…Published: October 26, 1958

One school treats the case as a strong historical close encounter report because the official documentation preserves multiple unusual claims in a single event: a low-altitude object, apparent vehicle interference, physical effects and rapid reporting to authorities. Within Maryland UFO history, this combination makes Loch Raven more substantial than most anonymous light sightings. [NICAP]nicap.orgChallenge of UFOsNICAPChallenge of UFOs - Complete bookOctober 26, 1958; Philip Small and Alvin Cohen, Baltimore, Md., saw a huge egg-shaped object hove…Published: October 26, 1958

The more sceptical interpretation emphasises the limits of the archive. The surviving Blue Book material demonstrates that the witnesses reported an extraordinary experience, but it does not independently verify the most dramatic aspects of their account. No known technical examination of the vehicle survives in the public file, and no surviving medical record publicly confirms an anomalous injury. From that perspective, the case remains historically interesting but evidentially incomplete. [UFO Casebook]ufocasebook.comUFO CasebookThe Loch Raven Dam Incident, 1958 - BaltimoreProject Blue Book investigated the case, but found no absolute cause for the app…

Both readings draw support from the same documentation. That tension is precisely why the Loch Raven records continue to attract attention. The file is strong enough to resist simple dismissal yet incomplete enough to resist definitive conclusions.

Official Records illustration 3

What the official record contributes to Maryland UFO history

The significance of the Loch Raven documentation is not that it proves an unidentified craft visited Maryland. Rather, it provides a rare example of a Maryland UFO report that can be traced through official channels and preserved within the federal government’s own investigative archive. The surviving record shows how a local encounter moved from witness testimony to police attention and finally into Project Blue Book’s national reporting system. [National Archives]nationalarchives.gov.ukUFO reportsEarly letters regarding UFO sightings · Correspondence on the Rendlesham Forest incident · Documents on UFO policy and communi…

For historians of Maryland UFO reports, that paper trail matters more than later folklore. Many sightings survive only as newspaper stories or recollections. Loch Raven survives as an identifiable case file within a documented Air Force programme, allowing later researchers to compare witness claims, official summaries and subsequent interpretations. The result is not a solved mystery but a well-documented example of how the United States government’s UFO investigation machinery handled one of Maryland’s most enduring unexplained reports. [National Archives]nationalarchives.gov.ukUFO reportsEarly letters regarding UFO sightings · Correspondence on the Rendlesham Forest incident · Documents on UFO policy and communi… [Air Force]af.milFrom 1947 to 1969, the Air Force investigated Unidentified Flying Objects under Project Blue Book.Read more…

Endnotes

Source: archives.gov
Title: National Archives Project BLUE BOOK
Link: https://www.archives.gov/research/military/air-force/ufos
Source snippet
National ArchivesProject BLUE BOOK - Unidentified Flying ObjectsThe records include approximately 2 cubic feet of unarranged project or a...
Source: Wikipedia
Title: Project Blue Book
Link: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Project_Blue_Book
Source snippet
Project Blue BookProject Blue Book was the code name for the systematic study of unidentified flying objects (UFOs) by the United Stat...
Source: prologue.blogs.archives.gov
Link: https://prologue.blogs.archives.gov/2019/12/19/saucers-over-washington-the-history-of-project-blue-book/
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Pieces of HistorySaucers Over Washington: the History of Project Blue Book19 Dec 2019 — The Federal Government established Project Blue B...
Source: mapuap.com
Title: loch raven dam maryland 1958 debc4267
Link: https://mapuap.com/sighting/loch-raven-dam-maryland-1958-debc4267
Source snippet
Unidentified object over Loch Raven Dam Maryland. Two men in a car reported their vehicle stalled...Read more...
Source: archive.org
Title: Brad Sparks Comprehensive Catalog of 1,600 Project Blue Book UFO Unknowns
Link: https://archive.org/download/BernardSieglerTechnicsAndTime1TheFaultOfEpimetheus/Brad%20Sparks%20-%20Comprehensive%20Catalog%20of%201%2C600%20Project%20Blue%20Book%20UFO%20Unknowns.pdf
Source snippet
Internet ArchiveComprehensive Catalog of 1600 Project Blue Book UFO...2 Oct 2009 — This is not a list of official USAF designations of “...
Source: wypr.org
Title: out there alien invasions and unexplained ufo sightings in maryland
Link: https://www.wypr.org/wypr-podcast/2019-01-14/out-there-alien-invasions-and-unexplained-ufo-sightings-in-maryland
Source snippet
WYPRAlien Invasions and Unexplained UFO Sightings in Maryland14 Jan 2019 — Sixty years ago - on the night of October 26 1958, around midn...
Source: nicap.org
Title: Challenge of UFOs
Link: https://www.nicap.org/books/coufo/coufo_complete.htm
Source snippet
NICAPChallenge of UFOs - Complete bookOctober 26, 1958; Philip Small and Alvin Cohen, Baltimore, Md., saw a huge egg-shaped object hove...

Published: October 26, 1958
Source: archives.gov
Title: project blue book 50th anniversary
Link: https://www.archives.gov/news/articles/project-blue-book-50th-anniversary
Source snippet
National ArchivesPublic Interest in UFOs Persists 50 Years After Project Blue...5 Dec 2019 — Project Blue Book, from March 1952 to Decem...

Published: March 1952
Source: amazon.co.uk
Title: In The Loch
Link: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Loch-Raven-Incident-Marylands-Encounter/dp/B0GX1KSJ97
Source snippet
The Loch Raven Incident: Maryland's Most Chilling Unsolved...The encounter was reported, investigated under Project Blue Book, and offic...
Source: guide.msa.maryland.gov
Link: https://guide.msa.maryland.gov/pages/series.aspx?ID=BRG47-43
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on BRG47-43 - Water Supply History CollectionOne of two series of historical Department of Public Works documents, transferred in 2014 to...
Source: guide.msa.maryland.gov
Link: https://guide.msa.maryland.gov/pages/series.aspx?ID=BRG47-48
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Mont... undefined. Details, Books: Meter Reader log books, 46, BRG47-48-48. undefined.Read more...
Source: archives.gov
Title: Project BLUE BOOK
Link: https://www.archives.gov/foia/ufos.html
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This File Moved. This file was moved to a location to make it easier for you to locate similar information.Read more...
Source: unwritten-record.blogs.archives.gov
Title: project blue book looking to the film record
Link: https://unwritten-record.blogs.archives.gov/2013/09/30/project-blue-book-looking-to-the-film-record/
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Blue Book: Spotting UFOs in the Film Record30 Sept 2013 — Project Blue Book was actually the third formal analysis of UFO sightings, comi...
Source: prologue.blogs.archives.gov
Title: ufos natural explanations
Link: https://prologue.blogs.archives.gov/2018/04/16/ufos-natural-explanations/
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archives.govUFOs: Natural Explanations - Pieces of History16 Apr 2018 — The purpose of the investigations was to assess the nature of the...
Source: Wikipedia
Title: Loch Raven Reservoir
Link: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Loch_Raven_Reservoir
Source snippet
Loch Raven ReservoirLocation of Loch... On October 26, 1958 one of the bridges was the site of a UFO sighting when...Read more...

Published: October 26, 1958
Source: af.mil
Link: https://www.af.mil/About-Us/Fact-Sheets/Display/Article/104590/unidentified-flying-objects-and-air-force-project-blue-book/
Source snippet
From 1947 to 1969, the Air Force investigated Unidentified Flying Objects under Project Blue Book.Read more...
Source: ufologie.patrickgross.org
Link: https://ufologie.patrickgross.org/htm/lochravendam.htm
Source snippet
26, 1958 2230. U.S., Loch Raven Dam Maryland: Two young men observed an egg-shaped object hovering...Read more...
Source: ufocasebook.com
Link: https://www.ufocasebook.com/1958lockravendam.html
Source snippet
UFO CasebookThe Loch Raven Dam Incident, 1958 - BaltimoreProject Blue Book investigated the case, but found no absolute cause for the app...
Source: towsontorch.com
Title: the enigma of the 10 26 58 loch raven reservoir ufo sighting
Link: https://towsontorch.com/p/the-enigma-of-the-10-26-58-loch-raven-reservoir-ufo-sighting
Source snippet
The Air Force concluded that while the incident did...Read more...
Source: nationalarchives.gov.uk
Link: https://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/explore-the-collection/explore-by-time-period/postwar/ufo-reports/
Source snippet
UFO reportsEarly letters regarding UFO sightings · Correspondence on the Rendlesham Forest incident · Documents on UFO policy and communi...
Source: books.google.com
Title: The Loch Raven Incident
Link: https://books.google.com/books/about/The_Loch_Raven_Incident.html?id=yaD_0QEACAAJ
Source snippet
Loch Raven Incident: Maryland's Most Chilling...4 days ago — The encounter was reported, investigated under Project Blue Book, and offic...

Additional References

Source: facebook.com
Title: if you look close youll see one of the aliens were actually captured here swimmi
Link: https://www.facebook.com/BayLifeBrokerage/videos/if-you-look-close-youll-see-one-of-the-aliens-were-actually-captured-here-swimmi/756035737512803/
Source snippet
If you look close you’ll see one of the aliens were actually...The 10/26/1958 incident was actually my father shooting off a flare gun o...
Source: facebook.com
Title: yes this one is true too read below in comments on the night of october 26 1958
Link: https://www.facebook.com/Baltimoreoldpicturesandfence/posts/yes-this-one-is-true-too-read-below-in-comments-on-the-night-of-october-26-1958-/1484412617056658/
Source snippet
Alvin Cohen and Phillip Small — were driving near Loch...11 Apr 2026 — The Project Blue Book file describes a sighting near Loch Raven D...
Source: reddit.com
Title: Project Blue Book’s craziest cases: r/UFOs Sighting lasted 2-3 minutes
Link: https://www.reddit.com/r/UFOs/comments/18z3axi/project_blue_books_craziest_cases/
Source snippet
Project Blue Book's craziest cases: r/UFOsSighting lasted 2-3 minutes. October 27, 1958. 10:30 p.m. Loch Raven Dam, Maryland. Witnesses...

Published: October 27, 1958
Source: onlyinyourstate.com
Title: To this day the UFO sighting in Maryland has never been
Link: https://www.onlyinyourstate.com/state-pride/maryland/ufo-sighting-md
Source snippet
The UFO Sighting In Maryland That Has Yet To Be Explained6 Oct 2023 — Over 60 years ago, two young men spotted a UFO over a bridge in Bal...
Source: reddit.com
Title: no place to run loch raven reservoirs forgotten
Link: https://www.reddit.com/r/UFOs/comments/9qgvqo/no_place_to_run_loch_raven_reservoirs_forgotten/
Source snippet
Loch Raven Reservoir's forgotten UFO, 60 years laterFrom 1947 to 1969, the Air Force investigated these occurrences under a program calle...
Source: dokumen.pub
Link: https://dokumen.pub/the-ufo-experience-evidence-behind-close-encounters-project-blue-book-and-the-search-for-answers-9781590033081-9781633412903-1590033086-q-4845629.html
Source snippet
The UFO Experience: Evidence Behind Close Encounters...One case that Blue Book has listed as Anomalous Propagation the Condon Report lis...
Source: facebook.com
Link: https://www.facebook.com/HISTORY/posts/for-decades-the-existence-of-ufos-was-denied-by-the-us-government-even-after-uni/10157032612491184/
Source snippet
were spotted above the US Capitol in July of 1952.Read more...
Source: mysterioustimes.co.uk
Title: october 1st today in ufo history
Link: https://mysterioustimes.co.uk/2024/10/31/october-1st-today-in-ufo-history/
Source snippet
Loch Raven Reservoir, Maryland. They see a large (100 feet long) egg-shaped object hanging 100–150 feet above the bridge. When they drive...
Source: documents.theblackvault.com
Title: A703 580 1 1 Part 7 646548
Link: https://documents.theblackvault.com/documents/ufos/australia/A703_580-1-1_Part%207_646548.pdf
Source snippet
theblackvault.comA703_580-1-1_Part 7_646548.pdfEnclosed herewith is a copy of a lecture given by. Professor James E. McDONALD in WASHINGT...
Source: baltimoremagazine.com
Title: ufo sightings in maryland
Link: https://www.baltimoremagazine.com/section/community/ufo-sightings-in-maryland/
Source snippet
Baltimore MagazineUFO Sightings in Maryland Are More Common Than You...2 Jul 2022 — Perhaps one of the most widely publicized Maryland s...

Air Force Project Blue Book Records for Loch Raven Encounter

Introduction

How the Loch Raven report entered Project Blue Book

Chronology inside the official file

Further Reading

The Report on Unidentified Flying Objects

UFOs and Government

The Hynek UFO Report

Project "Blue Book"