Ada, MinnesotaApril 1952

On April 10, 1952, at 4:15 a.m., an officer with the Minnesota State Highway Patrol and a civilian helper saw a strange flying object while sitting in their patrol car near Ada, Minnesota. The object had a yellow center with a green and blue rim. It was first circular in shape, then became oval, and eventually split into two parts. The officer described it as moving on a level, horizontal path that never changed altitude. All parts of the object had the same brightness throughout the sighting, and everything disappeared from view at roughly the same time.

The patrol car was positioned near the junction of highways 31 and 32, approximately 11 miles east of Ada, facing north. The object was to their left, heading south. The officer noted that the object appeared to him to be about the size of a fair-sized house. He was certain it was not a falling star because of the way it moved horizontally rather than falling from the sky. The officer said he had seen a similar object about four years earlier, also moving south in the same direction, but had told no one at that time because he had no witness to back him up.

An Air Force intelligence report noted that at 4:30 a.m. the skies were practically clear with only thin, wispy, high clouds. Visibility at ground level was unrestricted. The evaluation determined there was no known physical evidence and no other activity or condition that might explain the sighting. The Air Force classified the case as unidentified. The complete case file, reproduced below as held by the National Archives, contains 8 pages.