Over three days in March 1950, hundreds of residents of Farmington, New Mexico, witnessed a massive formation of unidentified flying objects, an event that became known as the "Farmington Armada." The local newspaper, The Farmington Daily Times, was inundated with reports and ran a banner headline, "Huge 'Saucer' Armada Jolts Farmington," bringing national attention to the small town.1 The sheer scale of the sighting, involving a significant portion of the town's population, makes it one of the most dramatic mass UFO sightings in American history.2
The Sighting
The primary wave of sightings occurred on March 17, when citizens reported seeing hundreds of silver, disc-like objects moving at incredible speeds across the sky. Witnesses described the objects as looking like "dinner plates" and noted they appeared to be flying in a controlled, intelligent formation.3 The objects were visible for an extended period, allowing a large number of people, including many schoolchildren and their teachers, to observe the phenomenon. Some reports also mentioned a larger, red-colored object that seemed to be leading the armada.2
Investigation and Controversy
An official investigation was launched, and the Air Force concluded that the objects were fragments from a ruptured Skyhook weather balloon.4 This explanation was, and still is, widely disputed by many who witnessed the event. Witnesses insisted that the objects' high speed, coordinated maneuvers, and ability to fly against the wind were inconsistent with the behavior of a balloon.1 UFO researcher James E. McDonald later investigated the case and found no record of any balloon launches that could account for the sighting, adding to the controversy and leaving the Farmington Armada a classic, and officially explained, but publicly debated, UFO event.5