Awaiting editorial reviewSerial ce20f19d-029c-411e-a657-c9e38acf125a
State Department UAP Cable: Tajik Air Crew Sighting Over Kazakhstan, January 1994
Prepared summary.
On January 27, 1994, the crew of a Tajik Air 747SP at latitude 45 North, longitude 55 East over Kazakhstan reported encountering a bright light of enormous intensity that approached from the east at great speed and higher altitude, then maneuvered in circles, corkscrews, and 90-degree turns for approximately forty minutes. Captain Ed Rhodes photographed the object with a pocket Olympus camera and intended to send copies to the U.S. Embassy in Dushanbe and the Tajikistan Desk contact Lowry Taylor.
KazakhstanTajik Air pilot (unnamed)Captain Rhodes (Ed Rhodes)Three American citizens (unnamed crew members)Light or glare
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[page 1] UNCLASSIFIED CSP-2025-00040 B-00002707028 "UNCLASSIFIED" 3/2/2026 # UNCLASSIFIED | MRN: | 94 DUSHANBE 259 | |-|-| | Date/DTG: | Jan 31 , 1994 / 310000Z Jan 94 | | From: | AMEMBASSY DUSHANBE | | Action: | WASHDC, SECSTATE ROUTINE; MOSCOW, AMEMBASSY ROUTINE | | E.O.: | Unknown | | TAGS: | TSPA, EAIR, KZ, Tl, TAJIK AIR, (RHODES, ED) | | Reference: | n/a | | Subject: | TAJIK AIR PILOTS REPORT UNIDENTIFIED FLYING OBJECT | [page 2] UNCLASSIFIED CSP-2025-00040 B-00002707028 "UNCLASSIFIED" 3/2/2026 ## UNCLASSIFIED # UNCLASSIFIED (cont.) ## UNCLASSIFIED (cont.) PAGE 02 DUSHAN 00259 310310Z 747SP AT LAT 45 NORTH AND LONG 55 EAST, OVER KAZAKHSTAN. THEY FIRST ENCOUNTERED THE OBJECT AS A BRIGHT LIGHT OF ENORMOUS INTENSIT Y, APPROACHING THEM FROM OVER THE HORIZON TO THE EAST AT A GREAT RATE OF SPEED AND AT A MUCH HIGHER ALTITUDE THAN THEIR OWN. THEY WATCHED THE OBJECT FOR SOME FORTY MINUTES AS IT MANEUVERED IN CIRCLES, CORKSCREWS AND MADE 90-DEGREE TURNS AT RAPID RATES OF SPEED AND UNDER VERY HIGH G'S. CAPTAIN RHODES TOOK SEVERAL PHOTOS WITH A POCKET OLYMPUS CAMERA AND WILL SEND COPIES TO THE EMBASSY AND THE TAJIKISTAN DESK (LOWRY TAYLOR) IN THE DEPARTMENT, IF THEY COME OUT. AFTER SOME TIME, THE OBJECT ADOPTED A HORIZONTAL HIGH-SPEED COURSE AND DISAPPEARED OVER THE HORIZON. # UNCLASSIFIED (cont.) ## UNCLASSIFIED (cont.) 2. AS IT WAS DARK WHEN THE OBJECT WAS OBSERVED, THE CREW WERE UNABLE TO DISCERN ITS SHAPE. THEY DESCRIBED THE LIGHT IT EMITTED AS HAVING A "BOW WAVE" AND ASRESEMBLING A HIGH-SPEED PHOTO OF A BULLET IN FLIGHT, IN WHICH A VERY SMALL OBJECT GIVES OFF A MUCH LARGER TRAILING WAVE OF HEAT/LIGHT. SOME FORTY-FIVE MINUTES AFTER THE INITIAL SIGHTING, AS THE SUN WAS RISING, THE AIRCRAFT FLEW UNDER THE CONTRAILS WHICH THE OBJECT HAD LEFT BEHIND. THE PLANE WAS MAKING OVER 500 KNOTS. RHODES ESTIMATED THE ALTITUDE OF THE CONTRAILS AT APPROXIMATELY 100,000 FEET, NOTING THAT THERE IS TOO LITTLE AIR/MOISTURE AT THAT EXTREME ALTITUDE TOENABLE THE CREATION OF CONTRAILS BY THE PROPULSION MECHANISMS OF ORDINARY AIRCRAFT WHICH MIGHT BE ABLE TO REACH THAT HEIGHT. THE PATHS OF THE CONTRAILS REFLECTED THE MANEUVERS OF THE OBJECT, I.E., CIRCLES, CORKSCREWS, ETC. 3. TO OUR SUGGESTION THAT THE OBJECT MIGHT HAVE BEEN A METEOR ENTERI NG AND SKIPPING OFF THE EARTH'S ATMOSPHERE, RHODES AND HIS CREW WERE ADAMANT THAT THEY HAD SEEN THOUSANDS OF "FALLING STARS" UNCLASSIFIED [page 3] UNCLASSIFIED CSP-2025-00040 B-00002707028 "UNCLASSIFIED" 3/2/2026 NNNN Dissemination Rule: Archive Copy UNCLASSIFIED UNCLASSIFIED Page 3 of 3