Project Blue Book Case File
Canton, OhioOctober 1961
Summary
On the morning of October 17, 1961, in Canton, Ohio, a civilian witness observed several objects flying in formation across the sky. The objects appeared as silver-green lights moving from west to east in an "X" formation at a speed slightly slower than a commercial airliner.
The witness reported the sighting to the Air Force. In their official questionnaire response, they noted that the objects were difficult to assess clearly, which affected the reliability of some details in the report. The Air Force noted in its case summary that the witness was known as a "flying saucer" enthusiast who actively looked for such phenomena as a hobby, a factor that investigators considered when evaluating the report's credibility.
The Air Force ultimately found insufficient data in the case file to reach a definitive conclusion about what the objects were. No explanation such as aircraft, balloons, or astronomical phenomena could be firmly established based on the information available. The case file reproduced below contains 10 pages as held by the National Archives.
Reported location
Canton, Ohio
Date of incident
October 1961
State / country
OH / US
Page count
10 scanned pages
USAF evaluation
unidentified
Microfilm
T1206, Roll 44