CHARLESTON W VA, September 1952September 1952

Insufficient Data

Summary

On September 24, 1952, at 3:35 p.m., the crew of a B-29 aircraft 50 to 100 miles south of Charleston, West Virginia, reported unusual bright, metallic-appearing particles streaming past the plane at 19,000 feet. The aircraft was on a heading of 350 degrees toward Charleston at 190 knots. The particles were seen from all observation points and by all crew members.

The particles looked pencil-point in width and varied in length from a tiny flash to a streak more than three feet long. They were visible at a considerable distance approaching the plane and within 20 to 100 feet to the sides. Nothing was seen to hit the aircraft; the particles flowed smoothly past. They appeared as bright white light with no spectrum of color. There was no turbulence and no condensation trails, and the outside air temperature was about minus 6 degrees Celsius. The phenomenon was seen over about 50 miles. About an hour earlier the plane had flown the same path the other way and saw nothing.

A detachment commander, forecaster, and crew members were interviewed, but no satisfactory explanation was reached. The pilot stated firmly the particles were not ice crystals and not chaff used to disrupt radar. The Air Weather Service said it could offer no explanation and recommended the matter be sent to Project Blue Book, the Air Force's unidentified flying object program.

Reported location

CHARLESTON W VA, September 1952

Date of incident

September 1952

State / country

? / XX

Page count

3 scanned pages

USAF evaluation

unknown

Microfilm

T1206, Roll 15

Original case file scans

Original case file · scanned by NARAPage 1 of 3

View transcribed text

— Eh ——————— a — )
| . PROJECT 18073 RECORD CARD
, ( ‘
gy _——- . SPT Gaeta + Safe @e Gre Cv ams nm © Ch Ge EES GE GPT SP So oo a=. wR. Be see mee -- bh 1 conn, A Be. - . - -—
FOATE CEN A 2 |2 LOCATION ~ 112 CONCLUSICHS
# 2L, Sep 52 CHARLESTCN Ww VA '@ Wes 3ei'oun
| : od or Probasty Boilcan
} cesses - 6 aliiieealing cos Ronen GAGS SI. A Gor ies Si toate coh oo tena. [7 > i: oe Sei 0
| 3. MITTS Spa | & TYPE GF OBSERVATION a Bi gd |
i BALL ran :
i “ocei _2L/1530 EST ______ Q Ground-Visual GO Ground-kada, > : a “ug sign HERON i
: 1 a GO Poaamiti " Arson ’
! rl T LX ~ Visual QO arsintorcent Pader | 4 4 |
— Rr NV .o% o BS AS PA 2, ee ————— ct co toe om en]
jo moles "A SOURCE 63 Te 5 ARTPONGAYS Cui
TI Yas | ZO Peahasiy Astranemica.
i i B-29 a 2 . Ci fan boy Astrunsimica
BEERS cei leedat BOARS TFT ER
V7, LENGTH UF CASERVATION (Be NUMBER CF OBJECTS  » CQOuRSE Er RT I ii is ln pubes 5. & i
: : - lnsuthic. on? Uva tor TA ran
Many Am LNs |
hia. BRIEF Sumisafly OF SNNTWG Th CowaEnTs ; Gp re aoa BY
Bright, metallic~appearing particles ;
observed by B-29 at 19000" stresking past in
islipstream of plane, Streaks were visible at |
considerable distance approaching plane, but | bi
nothing hit surfaces of a/c. | t 1
| th
tl
: | |
| | sd
i i
: } : \
Ro FOV TREN 3-0 BE BRP TERE WEY ET a RI. RO ST r—— TER C—O ——— i ——— A A — — ——— —
y— , i
ATIC FORM 139 (REV 26 SEP £2) ‘ x Ta

/ 3

Use ← → keys to navigate · scans hosted by the U.S. National Archives

Source: National Archives Catalog · NAID 28950144