Project Blue Book Case File
Cleveland, OhioApril 1949
Summary
On the night of April 5, 1949, multiple witnesses in Cleveland, Ohio reported seeing a strange red light in the sky. The object was described as glowing, steady, and roughly the size of a small ball or light. It remained visible for about 15 to 20 minutes to various observers in different locations around the city.
Witnesses at Cleveland Municipal Airport's control tower got the clearest view. Two airport employees watched the object with binoculars from around 2255 to 2303 hours (10:55 p.m. to 10:03 p.m.). They described it as a bright red light, roughly one foot in diameter, hovering about 10 to 15 miles away and 10,000 to 15,000 feet high. The object did not move laterally or up and down. They tried to radio contact it with no response. After about eight minutes, the light gradually dimmed and faded out, like "turning over a page," as one observer put it.
An airport administrative employee driving home that same evening also noticed a red object to the south, about 3 to 5 miles away. He watched it for roughly 15 to 20 minutes as it moved slowly eastward, with varying brightness. Weather conditions that night were clear with excellent visibility. The Air Force checked with nearby airports and military facilities. No aircraft were reported in the area, and no conventional explanation was found. The official evaluation in the case file is listed as unknown.
This case file consists of 27 pages as held by the National Archives.
Reported location
Cleveland, Ohio
Date of incident
April 1949
State / country
OH / US
Page count
27 scanned pages
USAF evaluation
unknown
Microfilm
T1206, Roll 4