Project Blue Book Case File
8 Mi N Of Fairfax, OklahomaNovember 1958
Summary
# UFO Sighting Near Fairfax, Oklahoma, November 1958
On the early morning of November 2, 1958, a 20-year-old man was driving north on State Highway 18, about 8 miles south of Fairfax, Oklahoma. At 0650 (6:50 a.m.), he saw four bright orange objects shaped like discs on the horizon directly ahead, moving due south at what he described as tremendous speed. He watched them for about 5 to 6 seconds through his front windshield as they climbed higher and disappeared over the car roof. His friend, who was a passenger, did not see the objects. The driver noticed no sound. The objects were arranged in a box formation and left a dim light trail about half as long as the objects themselves.
The witness said he could not estimate the objects' altitude or size with confidence. He guessed they might have been at 25,000 feet and the size of a nickel held at arm's length. The night was clear with moonlight and good visibility. The Air Force investigator noted the observer was young, of average intelligence, and appeared reliable. The witness was skeptical of his own sighting, suggesting at one point that the objects might have been reflections from electrical power lines. However, the investigator checked the location and found that the number and position of the wires did not match the box formation the witness described.
The Air Force conducted a thorough investigation. Radar stations at Bartlesville, Oklahoma City, and Hutchison, Kansas reported no targets in the area that morning. The FAA's Tulsa Tower had no reports of aircraft in the region. Flight service centers at Carswell Air Force Base and the Ground Observer Squadron at Joplin found no records of aircraft or unusual activity. The investigation found no physical evidence, no confirmation from other observers, and no known aircraft in the area that could explain the sighting.
The Air Force's official conclusion, recorded on the case card, was listed as "Unknown." The 16-page case file is reproduced below as held by the National Archives.
Reported location
8 Mi N Of Fairfax, Oklahoma
Date of incident
November 1958
State / country
OK / US
Page count
16 scanned pages
USAF evaluation
unknown
Microfilm
T1206, Roll 34