David Adair's Area 51 engine claim
From the UAP Encyclopedia, the open encyclopedia of UFO and UAP history · 🗓️ Event
Contents 7
| Date | 1999 |
|---|---|
| Topics | Bases & Area 51 (topic) |
| People | David Adair, Curtis LeMay, Steven Greer |
| Testimony | Shellenberger testimony, p. 140 |
| Year | 1999 in UFO history |
| Timeline | 1999 on the UAP Timeline |
| Sources | 10 |
David Adair is an American who says that in 1971, as a 17-year-old rocket builder, he was taken to the secret Groom Lake base known as Area 51 and shown an engine he believed was of alien origin. He has told the story on radio and in many interviews since the 1990s.[1][2]
His account
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On Art Bell's radio show on 17 November 1997, Adair said he had grown up in rural Ohio, building rockets from childhood with materials from local machine shops. At 17, he said, he obtained support from Congressman John Ashbrook for a half-ton rocket with an electromagnetic fusion engine, with oversight from retired Gen. Curtis LeMay. He said the rocket was launched at White Sands, New Mexico, accelerated so fast that witnesses thought it had exploded, and was tracked to Groom Lake, where he was flown afterwards.[1][4]
At the base, he said, he was taken into a hangar whose floor descended to an underground bay, met former Nazi rocket engineer Arthur Rudolph and was shown a large engine with no conventional wiring, only a network of fluid-filled tubes, which he concluded was not made on Earth. In other tellings he has said he sabotaged his own rocket so it could not be used to deliver nuclear weapons, that LeMay helped him return home, and that he was later recruited by the Navy. He has also said he received an Air Force engineering award.[1][4]
Public appearances
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Adair has said he tried to testify before Congress about his experience. According to the testimony, he also gave an account to Steven Greer's Disclosure Project, which presented about 20 of its witnesses at a press conference at the National Press Club on 9 May 2001.[2][3][4]
Assessment
There is no independent corroboration of Adair's visit to Area 51 or of what he says he saw, and details vary between tellings — for example on how he reached the base. LeMay died in 1990, and no documents confirming his role have been published. Adair's story remains a personal account.[1][4][5]
People and topics
- David Adair — Man who claims he saw an alien engine at Area 51 as a teenager.
- Area 51 — The secret Nevada test site where spy planes and stealth aircraft were developed.
- Curtis LeMay — Air Force chief of staff who reportedly refused Barry Goldwater access to UFO material.
- Steven Greer — Physician who founded CSETI and the Disclosure Project.
- Disclosure Project — Steven Greer's campaign for UFO disclosure, best known for its May 2001 press conference.
On the Timeline
- Arlington Institute board meeting (1999) (3 December 1999) — A defense think tank with former CIA chief James Woolsey holds a board meeting.
- Cold fusion and the Energy Department (1999) (17 May 1999) — A journalist reports concerns about the Energy Department and cold fusion research.
See every 1999 event on the UAP Timeline →
References
- "November 17, 1997: UFOs & Area 51 — David Adair", Art Bell archive · artbellarchive-org.pages.dev · archived copy
- "Group calls for disclosure of UFO info", ABC News (May 2001) · abcnews.com · archived copy
- Patrick Gross, "Greer's Disclosure Project", UFOs at close sight · ufology.patrickgross.org · archived copy
- "David Adair says he designed fusion rocket engine like one found at Area 51", Gaia · gaia.com · archived copy
- Area 51 — Wikipedia · en.wikipedia.org · archived copy
- 'Group calls for disclosure of UFO info' — ABC News (2001) · abcnews.go.com · archived copy
- A historian on the Disclosure Project — History News Network · historynewsnetwork.org · archived copy
- Disclosure Project briefing document (2001, PDF) — Internet Archive · archive.org · archived copy
- David Adair collection — Anomaly Archives · anomalyarchives.org · archived copy
- archive.org · archive.org · archived copy
Further reading
- Area 51 — Wikipedia · en.wikipedia.org · archived copy
This page was last edited on 29 October 2026. Articles are written in our own words from the sources listed under References; disputed claims are attributed to the people who made them.
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