1941 UAP Sighting — FBI Files
In August 1941, Major Parrott, a USAF Reserve pilot with 2200 hours of flying time, observed a slow-moving, light-colored metallic object. The object made a distinct clicking sound as it maneuvered, initially traveling west/northwest, then turning south/southwest. The sound cease
Background
A UFO/UAP incident extracted from page 159 of 65_HS1-834228961_62-HQ-83894_Section_4, a declassified FBI vault file released by the Department of War on May 8, 2026 as part of the Presidential Unsealing and Reporting System for UAP Encounters (PURSUE). The incident is dated August 1941 and located in Unknown location.
What the file records
In August 1941, Major Parrott, a USAF Reserve pilot with 2200 hours of flying time, observed a slow-moving, light-colored metallic object. The object made a distinct clicking sound as it maneuvered, initially traveling west/northwest, then turning south/southwest. The sound ceased when the object appeared directly overhead, and it was no longer visible.
Witnesses on file: Major Parrott.
Verbatim from the file
""This object when first sighted, was moving very slowly in a west or northwesterly direction."". ""The clicking sound was continuous throughout this turn, however, it became louder as it returned on its new heading of south or southwest."". ""The clicking sound, retained the same pitch and speed throughout the entire course observed, but intensity varied.""
Status of the case
The page-level assessment recorded in the file is: no agency assessment. All records released under the PURSUE program are designated unresolved by the All-domain Anomaly Resolution Office unless otherwise stated, meaning the federal government has not concluded the events were anomalous, has not concluded they were conventional, and has not ruled out either possibility. Conventional candidates for sightings of this period include experimental aircraft, weather balloons (especially the Project Mogul series), atmospheric optical phenomena, and astronomical objects.