Socorro (Lonnie Zamora) landing
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The visual record
Illustrations, recordings and archival references — each with its own provenance. A documented source is a starting point for investigation, not a verdict on its explanation.
Landing-site photograph, Socorro case file (1964)
A photograph of the ground outside Socorro where Lonnie Zamora reported an egg-shaped object on 24 April 1964, as filed in the Air Force Project Blue Book case — one Blue Book left 'unidentified'. Investigation photograph of the site; the object is not in it.
Project Blue Book · 1964 ↗Public domain — US government workLicence terms ↗James Fox · 0:29:42
Open the source at the cited time. The episode thumbnail is video packaging, not a photograph of the reported subject.
American Alchemy / Jesse Michels ↗YouTube-hosted preview and player; not relicensedJesse Michels · 1:05:02
Open the source at the cited time. The episode thumbnail is video packaging, not a photograph of the reported subject.
American Alchemy / Jesse Michels ↗YouTube-hosted preview and player; not relicensedOn 24 April 1964 Socorro police officer Lonnie Zamora reported an egg-shaped craft on legs in an arroyo with two small figures beside it, which then rose with a roar and departed. Burned brush and four landing impressions were recorded. Project Blue Book left it unexplained. Corpus guests describe knowing his family and compare the shape to the Nimitz object.
Read the full account
What was reported. Pursuing a speeding car south of Socorro on the afternoon of 24 April 1964, Sgt Lonnie Zamora heard a roar and saw a flame descending. In an arroyo he found a whitish oval object on legs and two small figures in coveralls who seemed startled; as he approached the object rose with a roar and left at speed. He radioed for help; Sgt Sam Chavez arrived to find smouldering brush and four wedge-shaped depressions. (FACT about the report.)
What followed. Army, FBI and Air Force personnel examined the site within a day. Project Blue Book, with Hynek, ruled out known aircraft and left the case unexplained. Zamora avoided publicity for the rest of his life. (FACT.)
What the corpus adds. James Fox describes being drawn into the case and getting to know Zamora's family and the National Archives records. In the Mick West debate the host says the protrusions seen on the Nimitz ATFLIR tapes remind him of the Zamora craft. (FACT about testimony; INFERENCE in the comparison.)
Explanations offered. Proposals include a student prank from New Mexico Tech, a lunar-lander test vehicle and a hoax; none has been documented, and the landing-gear test vehicles were not in the area. (INFERENCE.)
The event
| Date | |
|---|---|
| Place | 34.0584, -106.8914 approximate · United States |
| Official response | Project Blue Book classified the case as unidentified; J. Allen Hynek, the Air Force consultant, considered Zamora a reliable witness and found no conventional explanation. |
Reported by
- Lonnie Zamora law-enforcement Socorro police sergeant
Investigated by
- project blue book military
- J. Allen Hynek academic
- fbi albuquerque government
Who spoke about it later
Mentioned in the corpus
Passages this record cites, with the stamp of the block each quote sits in.
The Most Important UFO Investigator On The Planet (ft. James Fox) 28 September 2024
UFO Skeptic Mick West Challenged To A Debate 26 January 2025
- 1:05:02 ▶ Jesse Michels
is it Lonnie Zamora? Like that reminds me of a Lonnie Zamora craft what he described. But um
- 1:05:02 ▶ interview
- 2:59:34 ▶ Jesse Michels
Lonnie Zamora
- 1:05:02 ▶ Jesse Michels
On the map
Socorro (Lonnie Zamora) landing, San Antonio, New Mexico crash claim (August 1945), Nimitz "Tic Tac" encounter, Condon Report and the closing of Project Blue Book, Holloman AFB landing-film claim. Open the full map filtered to this record.
Sources on this record
- 0:29:42 The Most Important UFO Investigator On The Planet (ft. James Fox) · James Fox ▶
the landing in sakur New Mexico that involved the police officer by the name of Lon Zamora so anyway I'm really sticking my teeth into that case I'm getting to know his family his wife I go
- 1:05:02 UFO Skeptic Mick West Challenged To A Debate · Jesse Michels ▶
is it Lonnie Zamora? Like that reminds me of a Lonnie Zamora craft what he described. But um
- 2:59:34 UFO Skeptic Mick West Challenged To A Debate · Jesse Michels ▶
Lonnie Zamora
- Lonnie Zamora incident