Baltimore, MarylandOctober 1953

On the night of October 27, 1953, Private First Class John Raila and another observer in Baltimore, Maryland, saw a colored object moving across the sky. The object was slightly larger than a star. It began as orange, then turned white with two smaller red lights visible on its upper side. The sighting lasted between five and seven minutes, depending on which observer's account was used.

The object moved from northwest to southeast with no reported maneuvers. According to the observers, the lights simply went out. Raila estimated the object was at approximately 16,000 feet altitude. After further questioning, both observers stated that the sighting could not have been a jet aircraft.

The Air Force investigation included radar data and weather information. Haze conditions were present and had lasted for at least three weeks. A senior director at Baltimore Filter Center noted that information from radar was not complete enough to reach a preliminary analysis. However, the Air Force's initial belief was that the sighting was a jet aircraft in the vicinity of the observation point. Captain Robert E. Warren, a rated pilot and Direction Center Chief, suggested that the red lights could have been landing lights and navigation lights installed on conventional aircraft, which would disappear after the aircraft passed overhead. However, he also noted that traffic in the Washington-Baltimore area at the time displayed no radar plotting that matched the sighting.

The file indicates the observers firmly disputed the jet aircraft explanation after further interrogation, though the exact reasons for their skepticism are unclear in the OCR text. The case was classified as unknown by the Air Force. The full case file, consisting of seven pages, is reproduced below as held by the National Archives.