Roswell

In the mid to late 1990's, the United States Air Force responded to a General Accounting Office inquiry regarding what has become known as the "Roswell Incident" with two reports explaining the Air Force's version of the events.  The "Roswell Incident" refers to witness accounts of debris from an Unidentified  Flying Object (UFO) and alien corpses from the alleged UFO crash near the town of Roswell, New Mexico.  The second of the reports addresses the likelihood that the "alien corpses" seen in the New Mexico desert were actually anthropomorphic dummies from high-altitude parachute drops conducted with dummies from the Aero Medical Laboratory at Wright Air Development Center.  These two reports are available on this site.  Their executive summaries are available from the U. S. Air Force's website.  The links to these four resources are below:

Some of the evidence presented by the U.S. Air Force in defense of the theory that the aliens were actually anthropomorphic dummies, which came from WADC projects, is described below. 

Source: The Roswell Report: Case Closed

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UFO Theorists claim: Alien Wreckage in Ambulance

A Roswell witness claimed that he saw wreckage of an alleged alien craft in the rear of an Air Force ambulance

Source: The Roswell Report: Case Closed

Source: The Roswell Report: Case Closed

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Air Force answer: Balloon Debris

The Air Force claims the debris likely came from the crash of a high altitude balloon such as this one from the Wright Air Development Division.

Source: The Roswell Report: Case Closed

UFO Theorists' claim: Alien bodies found near Roswell

Witnesses to the alleged crash(es) of alien ship(s) near Roswell, New Mexico claimed that they saw alien bodies.  These bodies, according to the witnesses, were hairless, wore gray suits, and didn't look like human beings.  Witnesses also stated that the bodies looked like dummies or plastic dolls.

Source: The Roswell Report: Case Closed

"Sierra Sam" Anthropomorphic Dummy

Source: The Roswell Report: Case Closed

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Air Force's answer: Sierra Sam

The Air force explained these alien sightings as being anthropomorphic dummies used in WADC's high altitude balloon projects Excelsior and High Dive:

"In 1949, a contract was awarded to Sierra Engineering Company of Sierra Madre, Calif., and deliveries began in 1950.  This dummy quickly became known as "Sierra Sam".

In 1952, a contract for anthropomorphic dummies was awarded to Alderson Research Laboratories, Inc., of New York City.  Dummies constructed by both companies possessed the same basic characteristics: a skeleton of aluminum or steel, latex or plastic skin, a cast aluminum skull, and an instrument cavity in the torso and head for the mounting of strain gauges, accelerometers, transducer and rate gyros.  Models used by the Air Force were primarily parachute drop and ejection seat versions with center of gravity tolerances within one quarter  inch.

Over the next several years the two companies improved and redesigned  internal structures and instrumentation, but the basic external appearance of the dummies remained relatively constant from the mid 1950s to the late 1960s.  Dummies of these types were most likely the "aliens" associated with the "Roswell Incident". "(emphasis added)

Source: The Roswell Report: Case Closed

Source: The Roswell Report: Case Closed

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UFO Theorists' claim: Aliens had fewer than 5 fingers

Some witnesses claimed the alien bodies had less than five fingers

Source: The Roswell Report: Case Closed

Source: The Roswell Report: Case Closed

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Air Force answer: Broken fingers on dummies

The Air Force explained the number of fingers by claiming that the witnesses must have seen dummies with broken or missing fingers.  The dummies often were damaged in their high-altitude drops.

Source: The Roswell Report: Case Closed

UFO Theorists' claim:  Aliens in "Body Bags"

Witnesses to the alleged "Roswell Incident" claim to have seen "body bags" and gurneys with which the Air Force were purported to have transported alien bodies.

Source: The Roswell Report: Case Closed

Source: The Roswell Report: Case Closed

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Air Force answer: Dummy Transportation

Gurneys and body bags were routinely used to  transport the heavy dummies used in Project Excelsior.

Source: The Roswell Report: Case Closed

Source: The Roswell Report: Case Closed

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WADC Balloon Researchers

Balloon pilots Capt. Dan D. Fulgham (left) and Capt. William C. Kaufman, of the Aero Medical Laboratory, Wright Air Development Center, assigned to Project Excelsior.

Source: The Roswell Report: Case Closed

UFO Theorists claim: Living Alien Spotted

At least on witness claimed he observed a "creature" walk under its own power into the Walker Air Force Base hospital.

Source: The Roswell Report: Case Closed

Source: The Roswell Report: Case Closed

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Air Force answer: Injured Balloon Pilot

Capt. Dan D. Fulgham, days after a balloon mishap in which his head was pinned beneath the balloon's gondola.  The Air Force claims that with his head injuries, described by his own colleague as "grotesque", Capt. Fulgham was likely the source of the reports of an alien walking into Walker Air Force Base hospital.

Source: The Roswell Report: Case Closed

Madson, Raymond A., 1st Lt. High Altitude Balloon Dummy Drops, Part II. The Stabilized Dummy Drops, WADC TR 57-477 Part 2, 1961