60 Miles E of St Louis, Mo., November 1956November 1956

On November 1, 1956, two Air Force officers saw one object about 60 miles east of St. Louis, Missouri. The men were aboard a T-33 jet flying at 35,000 feet on a flight from Springfield, Illinois to Eglin Air Force Base, Florida.

The weather reconnaissance officer reported a steady orange light with a blue tinge near Mount Vernon at about 5:30 p.m. local time. He could not judge its distance, speed, or size. There was no tail or exhaust. He said it did not look like a meteor because it had no tail, and not another aircraft because it had no blinking lights. The object was in view for about two minutes. The estimated speed was more than 1,200 knots.

The pilot, who had over 10,000 flying hours, followed the object until it disappeared and stated it was definitely not a meteor. The report noted both observers were experienced and reliable. Because of their reliability, the Air Force carried the sighting as unidentified until further data became available. Project 10073 was the Air Force's official record system for reports of unidentified flying objects.