Baltimore, MarylandSeptember 1952

Unidentified

Summary

On the evening of September 6, 1952, observers at the Baltimore Filter Center (a radar facility) saw a bright white light flashing in the sky near Aberdeen Proving Grounds, Maryland. The light would appear and disappear roughly once every sixty seconds, each flash lasting one to two seconds. Three people reported the sighting: two military officers on duty at the center, 2nd Lieutenant Baxter T. Duncan and Technical Sergeant Ira Wilson, along with Fred Simon, a television production worker from a local station. The file notes that the observers' reliability and experience were unknown.

The sighting occurred at 0145 (1:45 a.m.) on September 6, 1952. The flashing light was located five to fifteen mils (a military unit of angular measurement) east of the filter center, in the direction of Aberdeen Proving Grounds. The weather at the time was clear with five-mile visibility, a temperature of 66 degrees Fahrenheit, and light winds from the north-northwest at eight knots.

The Baltimore Filter Center personnel immediately contacted Aberdeen Proving Grounds to ask if military activity was occurring in the area. They learned that test firing was indeed being conducted at the time of the sighting. Additionally, two F-84 fighter aircraft from the 148th Fighter Squadron at Dover Air Force Base were on combat air patrol in the region. When the pilots received word of the sighting, they were directed to search the area. The pilots reported seeing a flashing white light resembling an explosion in the southeast corner of Aberdeen Proving Grounds at 2242 (10:42 p.m.) on September 6, 1952.

The Air Force's evaluation of this case was "unidentified." The full case file, consisting of 7 pages, is reproduced below as held by the National Archives.

Reported location

Baltimore, Maryland

Date of incident

September 1952

State / country

MD / US

Page count

7 scanned pages

USAF evaluation

unidentified

Microfilm

T1206, Roll 15

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