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1947 Myrtle Creek “Flying Disc” Report Included In Declassified Federal UAP Release

A 1947 Myrtle Creek “flying disc” report is included in a declassified federal UAP release, documenting an FBI memo about a reported sighting near the Tri City Airport.

MYRTLE CREEK, Ore. — A 1947 “flying disc” report from Myrtle Creek is included in a newly released federal archive of unidentified anomalous phenomena records.

The document, an FBI office memorandum dated Aug. 23, 1947, describes a reported sighting involving Ray Virgil Hatfield, a Roseburg resident and operator of the Tri City Airport in Myrtle Creek, and his student, Noble Ellison.

The record is part of Release 01 of the federal UAP archive, which was marked “cleared for release” on May 8, 2026. The Department of War says the archive is part of an effort to find, review, identify, declassify, and publicly release unresolved UAP-related records and historical documents held by the federal government.

In its release announcement, the Department of War said the files are part of the Presidential Unsealing and Reporting System for UAP Encounters, or PURSUE. The department said the interagency effort includes the White House, the Office of the Director of National Intelligence, the Department of Energy, the All-domain Anomaly Resolution Office, NASA, the FBI, and other intelligence agencies. Officials said additional files are expected to be released on a rolling basis.

According to the FBI memo, investigators conducted follow-up work in Canyonville and Myrtle Creek on Aug. 12, 1947. Hatfield told investigators the sighting happened six days earlier, on Aug. 6, at about 6:15 p.m., while he was instructing a student during takeoff at the airport.

Hatfield reported seeing an object east of Myrtle Creek that appeared to be between 5,000 and 8,000 feet in the air. The sky was completely clear, and visibility was described as excellent.

The memo says Hatfield described the object as glistening and appearing to be made of aluminum sheeting. After noticing it, he took over the controls of the plane, which was flying at about 400 feet, and proceeded east in an attempt to observe it more closely.

Hatfield told investigators the object appeared to be climbing and traveling east at a high rate of speed. He estimated, using a computer in his plane, that it was moving at about 1,000 miles per hour. He believed the object was spherical in shape and said he noticed a darker object to the right the first time he saw it.

According to the memo, Hatfield reported seeing no vapor trail and hearing no noise from the object.

After searching the area for about 10 minutes, Hatfield and Ellison returned to the airport and made another landing and takeoff. In roughly the same position and at about the same altitude, both men reported seeing the object again.

Hatfield estimated the sphere was about 30 feet in diameter and said that when they first observed it, it appeared close enough that he could fly right to it. The memo says the object disappeared during the second sighting in the same manner as it had the first time.

The FBI memo also noted Hatfield’s aviation background, saying he had served about three and a half years as a lieutenant junior grade in the U.S. Naval Air Corps, flying on Atlantic submarine patrol. The memo described him as a reputable citizen in Douglas County and a qualified pilot.

Ellison, who was from Myrtle Creek, verified Hatfield’s account, according to the memo. He told investigators the object had first been brought to his attention when Hatfield took over the controls of the plane shortly after takeoff.

Ellison described the object seen during the second takeoff as a “silver ball or balloon,” which he believed was about eight miles east of Myrtle Creek. He said it was traveling east and climbing very fast before disappearing after approximately 45 seconds. Ellison estimated the sphere was about 50 feet in diameter and said he believed the second object appeared to climb straight up.

The Myrtle Creek report is not the only Oregon reference in the larger federal file. Other Oregon sightings are also mentioned in the long PDF, including a report from Newport. Those records show that Oregon was among the states where flying disc reports were being collected and reviewed by federal officials in 1947.

The Myrtle Creek record does not explain what Hatfield and Ellison saw. Instead, it documents how federal investigators recorded and followed up on “flying disc” reports during the summer of 1947, when similar reports were drawing public and government attention across the country.

For Myrtle Creek and Douglas County, the memo provides a notable local connection to one of the earliest waves of federal UFO-related investigations. It places the community inside a larger archive of historical UAP records now being released for public review.