Albuquerque: Light and disc at Manzano weapons store
Three security personnel saw a bright light descend rapidly over Coyote Canyon shortly before midnight. A guard later observed a disc-shaped, glowing form; his radio failed before it lifted away.
Background
Witnesses and First Sighting
Shortly before midnight, three security police officers — S/Sgt Stephen Ferenz, Airman 1C Martin W. Rist, and Airman Anthony D. Frazier — saw an intense light at the eastern edge of the Manzano weapons store near Kirtland AFB in Albuquerque, New Mexico. It descended rapidly into a restricted area about 3 miles to the north-northeast and stopped abruptly over Coyote Canyon.
Disc Observation and Interference
At 0:20 a Sandia guard noticed a disc-like structure with a strong glow behind a building. As he approached with a shotgun, his radio failed. The object rose vertically and disappeared.
Investigation and Controversies
The incidents led to a report to the Air Force Office of Special Investigations (AFOSI) at Kirtland. Agent Richard Doty produced an initial investigation, which was leaked to William Moore in 1982 and released under FOIA to Barry Greenwood. Bruce Maccabee and Moore questioned Doty, who hinted at further documents, but AFOSI denied this. Russ Curtis later contradicted his own statements.
Significance
The event at a nuclear weapons store points to military UAP encounters with technical interference and covert investigation.