The Aztec UFO Crash

The incident when an intact flying saucer was recovered and later covered up as a hoax

Aside from the Roswell Incident, numerous other UFO cases involving crashed saucers and their retrieval are believed to exist. However, with the government secrecy, many of which are quickly discredited and brushed aside, such as in the case of the Aztec UFO crash.

Even for the enthusiasts, the name only rarely rings a bell. When it does, it’s commonly associated with the terms “hoax” or “con job.” While there really isn’t a way to truly verify if the incident did happen, many UFO researchers have emerged to paint it as rather affirmative.

What happened on March 25, 1948, and in the subsequent years? We have reviewed several available materials to provide a comprehensive overview.

What Was the Aztec UFO Crash About?

On March 25, 1948, an unidentified flying object was allegedly seen over the skies of Aztec. However, this sighting was cut short when it crashed down in a deserted area of Hart Canyon.

The ensuing events vary across reports, but the big picture was that a UFO crashed, and it contained 16 small humanoid creatures. The U.S. military got involved, dispatching a team to retrieve the craft and study it, keeping the incident a secret, before turning it into a hoax.

The Aztec UFO crash may have been buried as a trivial case on the surface, but it wasn’t just a passing incident. It involved messy events that led to several conspiracies. One was that it was nothing more than a con game for money, and another was that classified U.S. Defense Intelligence Agency documents detailed an interview with one of the aliens.

The Events on March 25, 1948

Different accounts exist regarding who discovered the flying saucer. The most-followed narrative was that the Aztec crash was witnessed by the two key figures in the case: Silas Newton and Leo GeBauer.

They would then share the story with Frank Scully, who published it and broke it to the public. However, a different, more comprehensive version was published by William Steinman.

The Aztec Crash Events by William Steinman

In his book, UFO Crash at Aztec, the flying saucer was actually initially detected by three separate radar units. One of which was a high-powered installation on a mountaintop in the Four Corners area, where Utah, New Mexico, Arizona, and Colorado meet. It fluttered from side to side before crashing into Hart Canyon.

Air Defense Command (ADC) was notified, and the local military units were immediately activated. The command at the high-powered radar site also wired a message to George Marshall, informing him of the UFO in Four Corners. What followed was a series of internal movements that shaped the trajectory of this case:

• Gen. Marshall called a meeting with the president, the National Security Council, and the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and was connected directly to the radar station.
• Gen. Marshall contacted the Majestic 12 and the Interplanetary Phenomenon Unit (IPU), putting them on Red Alert.
• Gen. Marshall ordered the ADC and the local military units to deactivate, and the radar station was notified that the event was a false alarm.

Communications remained limited to the special units (IPU, MJ-12) and George Marshall after the IPU sighted the UFO. Marshall then ordered a retrieval mission and contacted Dr. Vannevar Bush to organize a scientific team to join, which included:

• Dr. John Von Neumman
• Dr. J. Robert Oppenheimer
• Dr. Detlev Wilf Bronk
• Dr. Lloyd V. Berkner
• Dr. Carl August Heiland
• Dr. Horace Van Valkenburgh
• Dr. Jerome C. Hunsaker

The Retrieval Mission

The crashed UFO was on a plateau on a cattle ranch, owned by Mr. H.D., before Gen. Marshall ordered it to be transferred to the Federal Status.

Roadblocks were immediately set up on all access roads leading to the crash site. Guards were posted around the area to stop people from entering. Mr. H.D. and his family were held incommunicado inside his house.

When the flying saucer was opened, the scene that welcomed the special unit:

• A cabin chamber with two charred human-like beings, four feet tall
• An instrument panel with buttons and levers labeled with hieroglyphic-type symbols
• A sort of sleeping quarters with retractable beds and 12 more charred bodies

They carried these bodies outside and laid them in rows. Dr. Bronk began examining them and asked Dr. Bush for cryogenic equipment to preserve the bodies.

While this was happening, the other officials found a way to disassemble the craft. Its pieces were loaded into three large trucks designated “Explosives” and traveled to Los Alamos, New Mexico.

Flying Saucer Program

In Los Alamos, the Majestic 12, along with other specialists, was activated to examine the retrieved material. The bodies were placed in cryogenic “deep-freeze” units to preserve them for autopsy. Von Poppen was called to photograph them for the recovery operation’s final report.

Alien Bodies

These alien bodies were detailed as follows:

• The largest was four feet nine inches tall and weighed 35 pounds.
• The smallest was 23 inches tall and weighed 22 pounds.
• They had very pale skin and facial features that resembled “mongoloid orientals.”
• They had large heads, slanted eyes, small noses and mouths, and very thin necks.
• Their torso was small, with long and slender arms that reached their knees.
• They had long, slender fingers with webbing between them.
• They lacked reproductive organs.

The scientists also noted that the aliens didn’t have blood. Instead, inside their bodies was a colorless liquid with an “ozone smell.”

Telex

A telex was allegedly sent from Camp Hale to the Assistant Chief of Staff in Washington, with a copy transmitted to the IPU at Pope Air Force Base. It contained a rundown of the operation:

Flying object of unknown origin recovered near Aztec, New Mexico. Craft approximately 100 feet diameter, 30 feet height, one window port blown, bodies on board. All occupants dead, 4 feet height, oversized heads. Craft has metallic skin, thin as newspaper, but too tough to penetrate by conventional tools. Private property was purchased from locals in order to facilitate transporting the craft to base.

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How Did the Flying Saucer Incident Become a Hoax?

From the crash to the retrieval mission and examination, the entire Aztec was allegedly placed under surveillance. The ranch owner was especially closely observed. Their phones, mail, and movements were heavily monitored to ensure the UFO incident was kept a secret.

The Leak—Leo GeBauer and Silas Newton

However, the story still got out, and it unintentionally started with Dr. Carl A. Heiland. One summer day in 1949, the doctor met with his friend, Leo Arnold GeBauer, and, through some harmless conversation, spilled the Aztec UFO story.

One thing led to another, and GeBauer ended up sharing the incident with Silas Newton, who relayed it to George Koehler.

In September 1949, Newton met with Frank Scully to inform him of the entire situation. While Scully only began writing his book in 1950, the Army Counterintelligence unit learned of the leak and immediately closely monitored both Newton, GeBauer, and Koehler.

When the three stopped talking about the crash, and no further movement was observed, the military considered the Aztec UFO crash to be under control.

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Silas Newton was asked to give a lecture at the University of Denver on March 8, 1950, where he discussed flying saucers. This event allegedly prompted the Air Force Office of Special Investigations to track down Newton and demand the recording of the lecture.

Koehler, who suggested the discussion, also received a threatening call from MJ-12, asking him to keep his mouth shut.

The Expose

In September 1950, Frank Scully published his book, Behind the Flying Saucers, in which he detailed the Aztec UFO crash. For the next few years, the incident became the talk of the town.

Until 1952, when journalist J.P. Cahn spoke with an editor of TRUE Magazine about the saucer story being nothing but a hoax, sparking a long investigation to discredit it.

Newton and GeBauer were approached to elaborate on their story, while Scully was also pressured to admit that his book was a hoax. Even when they didn’t budge, the magazine still ran two articles that “exposed” the Aztec UFO hoax. This turned the tide on the case, as people were influenced to believe the magazine.

After the articles attracted attention, suggestions to file criminal charges against Newton and GeBauer also started pouring in. One came from Herman Flader, who claimed the pair hustled $250,000 from him.

On October 14, 1952, the western states were told to be on the lookout for Newton and GeBauer. The FBI also received authorization to file federal charges against them. By December 29, 1953, newspapers carried headlines announcing their guilt.

What Was the Truth About the Aztec UFO Incident?

To this day, people remain divided about the Aztec UFO incident. Despite several materials providing compelling evidence, the case still sparks polarized opinions.

Unfortunately, one of the key figures in this case did have a rather questionable character. Silas Newton was indeed proven guilty of suspicious behavior. Records containing his fraudulent activities were released by the FBI, forever staining his association with the incident.

J.P. Cahn also spoke about GeBauer to Frank Scully, telling the author, “The information you accepted and passed on to your readers in good faith is not what you were led to believe it was. GeBauer is not one of the nation’s top scientists.”

Was the Aztec UFO incident truly just a hoax? Or did the government simply successfully find a fall guy to cover the story up?

Investigations Into the Incident

Unlike most UFO incidents, investigations into the Aztec UFO crash were only launched years after its occurrence by researchers who weren’t sold on the allegations.

William Steinman’s Investigation

In 1982, William Steinman thoroughly looked into the case after discovering that no researcher or ufologist had truly investigated the crash in depth. He traced the locations and people involved in the entire Aztec case.

• He went to Durango Airfield and asked about it, but, unfortunately, none of the officials were there in 1948.
• On the drive to Aztec, he met Vivian Melton, who claimed to know about the event and where it exactly happened. She shared that she and her husband moved into Aztec in 1970 and first heard of the crash from Alda Wild, who lived 10–12 miles north of the site.

With Vivian Melton, Steinman drove to the exact location of the UFO incident. On top of the plateau, he noticed “interesting indications” of activity:

• A concrete block approximately 4 feet high by 6 feet long and 5 feet wide.
• A pattern of scraped-off, charred rocks that spanned 50 feet wide and 150 feet long.
• A metal bracing ranging from 3 feet to 8-10 feet. It included a bunch of ¾-inch reinforcing rods, with a ½-inch-thick, 6-inch-diameter round metal foot.

Scott and Suzanne Ramsey

When the Aztec UFO incident fell into the Ramseys’ hands, they began their investigation by verifying the facts in the available materials. Similar to Steinman’s observation, they concluded that no one thoroughly investigated the incident from 1952 to 1986.

It was as if poisoned by accusations of forgery and UFO researchers … The authorities were ready to go even to the complete destruction of the lives of these two or three people [Newton, GeBauer, Koehler] in order to get a good cover. But if you analyze the original eyewitness testimony, then it is impossible to refute them.

In 2011, Scott Ramsey also published a bizarre FBI document called the Hottel Memo, believing it pertained to the Aztec case.

A source in the Air Force stated that three so-called flying saucers were recovered from a base in New Mexico. They were described as circular with a raised center and approximately 50 feet (15 meters) in diameter. Each of them was occupied by three figures of the human form, 3 feet (90 cm) high, clad in a very fine-textured metal cloth. Each body was tied with belts in a manner similar to the fastenings for test pilots.

According to Mr. G (name withheld), these saucers were found in New Mexico using a very powerful radar installed in the area. It is believed that the radar reacted to the mechanics from the saucer.

Witness Statements

Throughout the years, and with the help of UFO researchers thoroughly re-examining the Aztec UFO incident, some witness statements have been made available online.

In William Steinman’s investigation, a Mr. V.A. was identified, who claimed he lived a mile up the road leading to the crash site.

He told Steinman that he witnessed it firsthand sometime between 1948 and 1950. He was allegedly out doing his chores when a loud explosion caught his attention. Following the sound, he saw a huge disc-shaped object, larger than his house.

That thing, or flying saucer, tried hard to clear that cliff, but it hit the very corner, shooting sparks and rocks every which direction. Finally, it made a right-angle turn in mid-air and headed straight north. That’s the last I saw of it.

Another witness was revealed at the 14th Annual Aztec UFO Symposium presentation. The reporter had a friend who claimed his dad worked for the Navajo Tribe in 1948. His dad allegedly saw the craft up close and told him about the 16 aliens inside.

What Is the Significance of the Aztec UFO Crash in Modern Ufology?

The Aztec UFO incident, like the Cape Girardeau UFO crash, will remain an enigma in UFO history. However, this doesn’t make it any less interesting.

With emerging research and alleged documents supporting its existence, the Aztec case could become compelling evidence that the government knows more than it lets on.

This case’s significance lies in its signaling a more critical approach to UFO research, from distinguishing documented facts to debunking claims and information. As researchers Scott and Suzanne Ramsey did, it’s essential to thoroughly check whether claims are verifiable.

To keep updated with more UFO cases like this, stay connected with UFO Connect. We regularly publish old and new UFO sightings and investigations.

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