Allen, MarylandSeptember 1952

Unidentified

Summary

On September 12, 1952, at 2:30 a.m., a civilian couple named David and Betty Kolb reported seeing an unusual object from the ground near Allen, Maryland. The object appeared round with streamers hanging from it, and it glowed greenish white with a red rim. It moved toward the northeast at roughly 2,000 feet altitude while the Kolbs watched it through binoculars for about thirty-five minutes.

The Air Force investigated the sighting and checked the area using all available electronic equipment, including radar. The radar search detected 329 targets in the region where the object was sighted, but none of these matched the visual description. No aircraft were being tracked by radar at the station during the sighting, though the Air Force noted that low-level military missions were being flown in the area at the time. No interception was attempted.

The weather was clear that morning with ten-mile visibility. Wind data at various altitudes showed typical conditions for the season. The Kolbs' occupation and background were noted in the report (David worked as a grocery store salesman), but the Air Force did not evaluate their reliability or experience as observers.

The Air Force concluded that this sighting was unidentified, meaning no explanation could be determined from the evidence gathered. The full case file is reproduced below as held by the National Archives, spanning 9 pages.

Reported location

Allen, Maryland

Date of incident

September 1952

State / country

MD / US

Page count

9 scanned pages

USAF evaluation

unidentified

Microfilm

T1206, Roll 15

Original case file scans

Original case file · scanned by NARAPage 1 of 9

View transcribed text

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SSE PRO.EZT 10073 RECORD CARD : |
PU UT— - rt r ————————— of BE —————— |
Ch DATE ( (2 LOCATION ( 112. CONCLUSIONS b
1 IR San je ‘  Allsa, Maryland 0 Was Balloon :
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1s. DATE-Tini CRLLP (4 TY Pi GF GBSERVATION Lo essitiy Helicon
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LITE a i i i bl cts ian Wil sama Groung- Visual C Ground- Rader [8 B98 Sites Eo]
i iw) Probab! y Airceatt
RY, eee 0230 .. RAS pbs age oO Aie=Visual oO Ar-intercept Rader L" Possibly Avrcraiy i | {
8. PrROTGS 1 8. SOURCE 'Q Was Astronomical :
| Yes . i SS 4 80  Probebly Astronemice.
x fa COC observer +3 Possibiy Astronomical i
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7. LENGTH OF UBSERVATION 8. NUMBER CF OBJECTS 9%. COURSE EON. en sn eee |]
ou 7 1 insufficient Data for Cvalvatienr |
35 winutes pk her T= Unknown i
Ed. i fe it deh es Sti te i at oo ee i, | Bt a |
lia. BRITF SUMMARY OF SIGHTING (1. COMMENTS ; i
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Creenisn-wiite, red rim. ound shape. Dyes not coincide with regular selcascul
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ATIC FORM 329 (REV 26 SEP 52) |
aa Ahi. £20
3

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Source: National Archives Catalog · NAID 28949831