Biloxi, Miss., April 1952April 1952

On April 13, 1952, an Air Force officer stationed at Keesler Air Force Base in Mississippi saw three bright orange objects moving across the sky over the Gulf of Mexico near Biloxi. The sighting lasted roughly four to five seconds. The objects appeared to be round and moved in a straight line at high speed before changing formation and vanishing from view.

The observer, a first lieutenant who worked as a student officer, noted that the objects resembled the glow of heated metal in color. He could not estimate their distance, size, or altitude. He heard no sound from them and saw no exhaust trail. The officer's wife was present and also witnessed the event. Both observers believed the objects were too fast and maneuverable to be falling stars or any conventional aircraft.

The Air Force collected additional sworn statements from airmen stationed at a radar site near Moriarty, New Mexico, roughly 200 miles away. On the same date, they reported seeing a single metallic, circular object moving at extremely high speed and displaying unusual maneuverability. Multiple witnesses described the object as silver in color and said it executed sudden climbs and dives that no known aircraft of the time could perform. Weather conditions on April 13, 1952, were clear with good visibility.

The case file contains weather data, wind aloft measurements, and various witness statements, but the Air Force reached no definitive conclusion about the objects' identity. The record indicates the case was evaluated as "unknown," meaning investigators could not determine a conventional explanation. The full case file is reproduced below as held by the National Archives, spanning 81 pages.