Coeburn, Va., August 1959August 1959

In August 1959, a man in Coeburn, Virginia took a photograph he believed showed three unidentified flying objects. He had been on a hilltop behind the local schoolhouse on a clear night around 9:00 p.m. when he said he saw three bright objects come up over Sheeprock Mountain. According to his account, the objects were about twice as bright as the largest star visible that night and moved slowly, rising steadily and following the mountain ridges.

The witness used a Japanese 35mm camera (Kalimar A) with regular black and white film to capture the image. He had the film developed months later and discovered what he believed were the objects on the negative. He then contacted the Air Force, hoping the photograph would be valuable for their files.

The Air Force's technical analysis, however, reached a different conclusion. Specialists at the Air Technical Intelligence Center examined the negative and determined that the spots on the film were "air bells," bubbles that form during film development and prevent developer from reaching small areas of the film. They also found the wispy image to be consistent with either an out-of-focus photograph of cigarette smoke or poor developing technique. The Air Force also noted that the witness had been told the military pays $100 for UFO photographs, which was untrue.

The case file notes indicate the Air Force labeled the sighting a hoax, though the document records suggest the witness may have simply misinterpreted a photographic defect. The full case file, comprising 19 pages as held by the National Archives, is reproduced below.