a/v over Shreveport, La., June 1957June 1957

On June 3, 1957, near Shreveport, Louisiana, the captain and first officer of a Trans-Texas Airlines flight observed two white lights flying alongside their aircraft for about an hour. The objects appeared as small stars at first but responded with a bright flare when the pilot flashed his landing lights at them. During the flight, the objects maintained a position roughly 9,700 feet in altitude while the aircraft was around 1,000 to 9,000 feet. Both the control tower at Shreveport and a nearby radar station called GOATEE (653rd Air Control and Warning Squadron) also tracked the objects on their instruments. The objects were lost from sight as the aircraft descended near Lake Charles, Louisiana, moving toward the southeast.

The Air Force investigation found several possible explanations. The pilots reported winds aloft consistent with the objects' movements, and weather that night included scattered clouds and thunderstorm activity. Investigators learned that Barksdale Air Force Base had been conducting B-47 refueling operations in the area at the time, and that some military aircraft on training missions are not logged with Flight Service. In their final assessment, the Air Force officers concluded the objects were "probably military aircraft" based on the capabilities of the B-47, the timing of the operations in the area, and the possibility that the bright flare was from an Aldis light signaling back to the pilot's light signals. A discrepancy in reported sighting times between the original report and the pilot interviews was noted but could not be resolved. The full case file is reproduced below as held by the National Archives, comprising 10 pages.