Arlington, VirginiaAugust 1957

On the evening of August 1, 1957, a police sergeant in Arlington County, Virginia received a report of an unusual object in the sky. A 17-year-old resident had called to describe a bright, round, orange object traveling at extremely high speed from south to north. The witness estimated the object was about the size of a pea held at arm's length, moving at roughly 2,000 miles per hour at an altitude around 50,000 feet. He watched it for approximately 90 seconds before trees blocked his view.

The object was also seen by the witness's father and daughter-in-law, who provided similar descriptions. The father, a piano salesman, agreed the object was traveling at about 1,500 to 2,000 miles per hour and estimated its altitude at 50,000 feet. He described it as round and light reddish in color, roughly the size of a half dollar at arm's length. The daughter-in-law gave a shorter account, describing a bright, round disk with a pink center and orange edge, resembling a lemon in size. She noted the object moved "very slowly" across the sky, a description that conflicted with the other witnesses' estimates of extreme speed.

The Air Force investigator noted significant reliability problems with all three witnesses. The initial report came from a 17-year-old who showed signs of recent alcohol use and had an unusual interest in UFO sightings. The father was described as under pressure from his enthusiastic wife during the interview. The mother-in-law's physical and mental state, the report stated, "precluded the possibility of a comprehensive or comprehendable interview." Weather conditions at the time were clear with 15-mile visibility, light surface winds, some haze, and thin cirrus clouds above 23,000 feet.

The investigation included checks with multiple military installations, the National Weather Service, the Naval Astronomical Observatory, and commercial aviation operations in the Washington, D.C. area. All inquiries returned negative results for weather balloons, astronomical phenomena, or scheduled aircraft. However, conversations with jet pilots proved significant. The preparing officer concluded that a jet aircraft flying with its afterburner activated could match the description provided. The witnesses lived near a heavily traveled highway, and highway noise could have masked the sound of a low-flying jet. The approving officer agreed, noting that the sighting was "possibly caused by an aircraft equipped with afterburner," while acknowledging that "the apparent unreliability of the sources precludes a firmer analysis."

The file notes the object was evaluated as "unknown" by the Air Force, though the comments from both the preparing and approving officers pointed toward a jet aircraft with afterburner as the probable explanation. The full case file of 16 pages is reproduced below as held by the National Archives.