Socorro UFO Incident — The Departure
Socorro UFO Incident — The Departure
Overview
The departure sequence — from the initial roar and flame to the craft's disappearance over the horizon — lasted approximately sixty to ninety seconds based on Zamora's account and is described in precise detail across his multiple statements to investigators. The departure sequence provides several technically anomalous details that investigators found difficult to reconcile with conventional aircraft behavior.
Sequence of Events
| Phase | Description |
|---|---|
| Roar initiation | Sudden loud roar erupts; significantly louder than the earlier thumping sounds; flame erupts from underside |
| Flame characteristics | Described as blue and orange; conical shape; bluish at center, orange at edges; directed downward |
| Zamora's reaction | Drops to ground; loses glasses; gets up and runs back toward patrol car; takes cover behind engine block |
| Landing leg retraction | As craft rises, the four angular legs retract or disappear from view; no longer visible during flight |
| Ascent | Craft rises vertically from arroyo floor; clears the lip of the arroyo (approximately 20 feet above ground) |
| Leveling off | At or just above arroyo lip height, craft levels off and transitions to horizontal flight |
| Flame cessation | Roar subsides to a lower whirring or rushing sound; flame diminishes or ceases as craft levels off |
| Horizontal departure | Craft moves southwest at relatively low altitude, following the terrain; moves quickly but not at extreme speed |
| Final observation | Craft disappears over a distant hill; Zamora estimated it moved approximately 3 miles before disappearing |
| After departure | Zamora returns to arroyo; observes burning bush and ground impressions; radios dispatcher |
The Blue-Orange Flame
The flame that accompanied the departure has been analyzed by multiple investigators. Key characteristics:
- Color: Blue-orange, with blue at the core and orange at the edges — a color combination not typical of conventional jet or rocket exhaust
- Shape: Conical; narrow at the nozzle point and wider at the base — consistent with directed thrust
- Direction: Directed downward from the underside of the craft — consistent with a VTOL (vertical takeoff and landing) propulsion system
- Duration: Most intense during vertical ascent; diminished or ceased as the craft transitioned to horizontal flight
- No crater: Despite the flame being directed at the sandy arroyo floor, there was no crater or significant scorching of the soil immediately beneath the craft — a detail investigators noted was inconsistent with conventional rocket thrust of sufficient power to lift a vehicle of the observed size
The absence of a blast crater directly beneath the craft — where rocket exhaust of sufficient thrust to lift the craft would have been directed — was one of the physical evidence anomalies that most puzzled the Air Force investigators.
The Noise Pattern
Zamora described a specific noise pattern that investigators found technically anomalous:
- The roar during departure was independent of the flame duration in a way that was confusing; the noise preceded the visible flame
- As the craft transitioned from vertical to horizontal flight, the roar subsided to a whirring or rushing sound — not a conventional jet turbine sound
- Once at altitude and in horizontal flight, the craft appeared to move in near-silence
The change from a loud roar during VTOL ascent to near-silence during horizontal flight does not match the acoustic profile of any conventional 1964 propulsion system.
Craft Behavior Observed by Additional Witnesses
Tourists stopping at the Whiting Bros. gas station north of Socorro reported to the station attendant that they had seen a low-flying object pass over their car as they drove south on U.S. Highway 85. This object, which they described as moving at high speed and low altitude toward the southwest, was consistent in timing and direction with the departing Socorro craft. These witnesses, who had no knowledge of Zamora's encounter, spontaneously reported their sighting to the gas station attendant, who later mentioned it to investigators.
