Bloomfield, Crane & Vincinnes, IndianaSeptember 1956

On the evening of September 17, 1956, six people in Crane Village, a settlement on the western edge of the Naval Ammunition Depot near Crane, Indiana, reported seeing unidentified flying objects between 4:10 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. Two witnesses from a farm near Bloomfield, Indiana, also reported sightings that same evening. The witnesses described unusual lights that changed colors and objects that seemed to hover and move erratically.

The Crane Village witnesses reported seeing two objects several miles to the northeast that would "float around then stand still." Each object displayed a bright light that shifted from white to red to green. The witnesses said a large aircraft approached the two objects and banked toward one of them, then dove toward the other, which was approximately 2,000 feet away. The witnesses reported that the two objects maneuvered "as if chasing one another" and then sped away to the north so fast that one observer said they moved faster than any aircraft he had ever seen. Most witnesses estimated the objects were at an altitude of 2,000 to 3,000 feet. No one heard any sound or saw vapor trails.

The Bloomfield witnesses reported seeing a similar display. They watched as a single large light changed course frequently and at times appeared to stand still. A smaller light then detached from the larger one, and the larger object chased the smaller one for approximately twenty minutes. Like the Crane Village group, the Bloomfield witnesses heard no noise from the objects and said a jet aircraft passed overhead at roughly 1,000 feet but did not appear to notice them.

The Naval Ammunition Depot's legal officer, who prepared the official investigation, concluded the sightings were likely caused by aircraft in the area. The red color, the report stated, could have come from the engine glow of two transport aircraft that were nearby. Since the witnesses had no reference points to judge distance or speed, circling aircraft might have appeared to hover. The contrast between the speed of a jet and slower transport planes might have created the illusion of objects chasing each other.

A separate sighting was also reported on September 18 near Vincennes, Indiana. A single egg-shaped silver object, described as the size of a nickel at arm's length, was seen for five minutes. It was first sighted in the east, traveled southwest, and disappeared by fading from sight. Air Force analysis concluded this sighting was "probably caused by an aircraft" and was evaluated as aircraft.

The full case file is reproduced below as held by the National Archives across 14 scanned pages.