State Department UAP Cable 002, Kazakhstan, January 31, 1994
This diplomatic cable, released in full by the U.S. Department of State, documents a UFO report relayed by Tajik Air chief pilot and American citizen Ed Rhodes and two American pilot colleagues. On January 27, 1994, while flying a Boeing 747SP at 41,000 feet at approximately 45N/55E over Kazakhstan, the crew encountered an object described as a bright light of enormous intensity approaching from the eastern horizon at great speed and much higher altitude. Over roughly forty minutes the crew observed the object maneuvering in circles, corkscrews, and 90-degree turns at high speed and high G-forces. Captain Rhodes photographed the object with a pocket Olympus camera. The crew described the light as resembling a high-speed photo of a bullet in flight with a 'bow wave.' About forty-five minutes after the initial sighting, near sunrise, the aircraft flew under contrails the object had left, which Rhodes estimated at roughly 100,000 feet — too high, he argued, for ordinary aircraft to leave contrails. Rhodes rejected a meteor explanation and expressed the opinion that the object was extraterrestrial and under intelligent control. The embassy comment stated it had no opinion and reported the account 'for what it may be worth.' The cable is signed Escudero.
Description
An unclassified U.S. Department of State diplomatic cable (DUSHANBE 00259) from the U.S. Embassy in Dushanbe, Tajikistan to the Secretary of State in Washington, D.C., dated January 31, 1994, reporting a UFO/UAP encounter by Tajik Air pilots over Kazakhstan.
Claims
Captain Rhodes photographed the object with a pocket Olympus camera.
70%The embassy expressed no opinion, reporting the account 'for what it may be worth.'
90%On January 27, 1994, a Tajik Air pilot and American aircrew flying a Boeing 747SP at 41,000 feet over Kazakhstan encountered an unidentified flying object.
85%On January 27, 1994, Tajik Air pilots at 41,000 feet over Kazakhstan (approx. 45N/55E) encountered a bright, high-intensity object.
75%The object maneuvered in circles, corkscrews and 90-degree turns at high speed and high G-forces over about forty minutes.
70%The object maneuvered in circles, corkscrews, and 90-degree turns at high speed and high G-forces over about forty minutes.
60%Rhodes opined the object was extraterrestrial and under intelligent control; the embassy stated it had no opinion.
60%The object left contrails estimated at approximately 100,000 feet, an altitude too high for ordinary aircraft to leave contrails.
50%Contrails left by the object were estimated at approximately 100,000 feet, too high for ordinary aircraft to produce contrails.
40%Rhodes and crew rejected a meteor explanation and opined the object was extraterrestrial and under intelligent control.
40%
Events
Jan 26, 1994
UAP encounter over Kazakhstan
Tajik Air chief pilot Ed Rhodes and two American pilot colleagues encountered a UFO while flying a Boeing 747SP at 41,000 feet at 45N/55E over Kazakhstan; observed for ~40 minutes performing high-speed maneuvers.
Jan 30, 1994
Cable transmitted
Embassy Dushanbe sent cable DUSHANBE 00259 to the Secretary of State and other posts.
May 7, 2026
Document released in full
State Department released the unclassified cable as part of a UAP document release.
Jan 28, 1994
Pilots report the encounter
Ed Rhodes and colleagues reported the January 27 encounter to the embassy.
Jan 28, 1994
Report made to embassy
The pilots reported the encounter on January 29, 1994.
Dates mentioned
Keywords
Entities
Phenomena
Organizations
Places
Craft
Extracted text (OCR)
UNCLASSIFIED CSP-2025-00040 B-00002707028 "UNCLASSIFIED" 3/2/2026 UNCLASSIFIED 94 DUSHANBE 259 Jan 31, 1994 / 310000Z Jan 94 AMEMBASSY DUSHANBE MRN: Date/DTG: From: Action: WASHDC, SECSTATE ROUTINE; MOSCOW, AMEMBASSY ROUTINE Unknown TSPA, EAIR, KZ, Tl, TAJIK AIR, (RHODES, ED) n/a TAJIK AIR PILOTS REPORT UNIDENTIFIED FLYING OBJECT E.O.: TAGS: Reference: Subject: UNCLASSIFIED PAGE 01 DUSHAN 00259 310310Z ACTION OES-09 INFO LOG-00 AID-01 AMAD-01 OASY-00 DOTE-00 EAP-01 EB-01 EUR-01 FAAE-00 TEDE-00 INR-00 ADS-00 NSAE-00 SSO-00 SNIS-00 NISC-02 /016W ------------------1 FA298 31031 OZ /38 R 310258Z JAN 94 FM AMEMBASSY DUSHANBE TO SECSTATE WASHDC 2150 INFO AMEMBASSY MOSCOW AMEMBASSY TASHKENT AMEMBASSY ASHGABAT AMEMBASSY ALMATY AMEMBASSY BEIJING AMEMBASSY BISHKEK CIA WASHDC 0224 DIA WASHDC 0232 UNCLAS DUSHANBE 00259 DEPARTMENTFOROESIB E.O. 12356: N/A TAGS: TSAP, EAIR, Tl SUBJECT: TAJIK AIR PILOTS REPORT UNIDENTIFIED FLYING OBJECT 1. TAJIK AIR CHIEF PILOT, AMCIT ED RHODES, AND HIS TWO AMERICAN PILOT COLLEAGUES REPORTED JANUARY 29 THAT, ON JANUARY 27, THEY HAD ENCOUNTERED A UFO WHILE FLYING AT 41,000 FEET IN THEIR BOEING UNCLASSIFIED Released in Full John Powers, Acting-Director US Department of State 2/25/2026 UNCLASSIFIED Pagel of 3 UNCLASSIFIED CSP-2025-00040 B-00002707028 "UNCLASSIFIED" 3/2/20 26 UNCLASSIFIED 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 INTENSITY, 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. 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 AS RESEMBLING 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 TO ENABLE 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 ENTERING AND SKIPPING OFF THE EARTH'S ATMOSPHERE, RHODES AND HIS CREW WERE ADAMANT THAT THEY HAD SEEN THOUSANDS OF "FALLING STARS" UNCLASSIFIED UNCLASSIFIED PAGE 03 DUSHAN 00259 310310Z AND OTHER SPACE JUNK ENTERING THE ATMOSPHERE IN THEIR YEARS OF FLYING PASSENGER AIRCRAFT FOR PANAM. THIS, THEY INSISTED, WAS NOTHING LIKE A METEOR. ON THE BASIS OF ITS SPEED AND MANEUVERABILITY, RHODES EXPRESSED THE OPINION, WHICH HIS CREW SEEMED TO SUPPORT, THAT THE OBJECT WAS EXTRATERRESTRIAL AND UNDER INTELLIGENT CONTROL. 4. COMMENT: WE HAVE NO OPINION AND REPORT THE ABOVE FOR WHAT IT MAY BE WORTH. ESCUDERO UNCLASSIFIED UNCLASSIFIED Page 2 of 3 UNCLASSIFIED CSP-2025-00040 B-00002707028 "UNCLASSIFIED" 3/2/20 26 NNNN Dissemination Rule : Archive Copy UNCLASSIFIED UNCLASSIFIED Page 3 of 3
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