Camp Pendleton, Calif., September 1959September 1959

On September 30, 1959, a Marine observer at Camp Pendleton, California reported seeing a bright, silvery-blue object moving across the sky at twice the speed of a jet aircraft. The object appeared suddenly, traveled straight and level for two to three seconds at an estimated altitude of 70 degrees above the horizon, then disappeared into a cloud after moving through about 25 degrees of the sky. The object was described as roughly the size of a quarter.

Weather conditions at the time included scattered clouds, with a ceiling between 6,500 and 35,000 feet. Winds varied between 315 and 360 degrees. No jet aircraft were reported flying in the opposite direction at approximately 4,000 feet just before the sighting.

The Air Force evaluated the sighting and concluded the object was probably a meteor. The case file notes that the "description and data indicate meteor observation," based on the object's speed, brightness, and the brief duration of the sighting. No additional comments or possible causes beyond this conclusion appear in the available records. The Assistant Operations Officer reported no other information regarding the incident.

The full case file is reproduced below as held by the National Archives, 7 pages in total.