Columbus, OhioJuly 1949

On the evening of July 31, 1949, around 7:15 p.m., a motor oiler in Columbus, Ohio saw an unusual object in the western sky. He described it as oval shaped, greyish-blue in color, and about five times the size of the U.S. Navy Constitution aircraft. The object was very high, around five thousand feet altitude, and traveled slowly westward. The sky was generally clear, though some small clouds drifted nearby. He heard no sound and saw no exhaust trail.

The witness called over two neighbors to look at the object. As they watched together, two circular flares suddenly dropped from the craft. These flares glowed like white heat from a blast furnace, roughly the size of searchlights. They hung stationary beneath the object for about one minute before turning yellow and extinguishing, first the right one, then the left. The haze around these flares made it hard to see the main object clearly. After the flares went out, a bright white sphere dropped from the craft and settled directly underneath it. The sphere appeared about one-fifth the size of the setting sun. Both the object and sphere then rose and disappeared into the clouds.

A second witness, a machinist, was also interviewed. Around the same time, he was called outside and saw two round lights in the sky to the west. They resembled the brilliant glow of molten metal or white-hot metal. These lights moved slowly southward through clear skies. He heard nothing and saw no sign of propulsion.

The investigating officers noted some concerns about the witnesses. The first observer, the motor oiler, was described as "highly imaginative," spoke loudly enough for other employees to hear, and seemed eager to discuss his sighting. The investigator felt his answers came too readily, without hesitation. The second witness, however, appeared sincere and straightforward, though the agent noted he was slightly imaginative and had been sleep deprived due to worry about his wife and newborn baby. A newspaper had reported the sighting as a "space ship," but the first witness said he had been misquoted. The Air Force classified the case outcome as "unknown." The full case file, comprising 8 pages, is reproduced below as held by the National Archives.