Congaree AFB & Shaw AFB, South CarolinaMarch 1953

On March 5, 1953, the U.S. Air Force investigated a complex UFO incident involving multiple sightings across South Carolina. An observer at the Savannah River Project reported seeing a silver crescent-shaped object at very high altitude for about one hour, beginning around 1545 (3:45 p.m.) EST. The description was brief and contained little detail.

The radar crews at Congaree and Camden air bases soon picked up an unidentified blip after being notified of the visual sighting. From 1707 until 1835 EST, two separate radar stations tracked the object moving at 200 to 220 mph at an estimated altitude of 20,000 feet. The object made several direction changes, including reversals, before fading from radar. The Air Force scrambled F-51 and F-80 fighter aircraft to intercept, but both attempts failed. The object stayed roughly 10 to 20 miles ahead of the intercepting fighters throughout the encounter.

The radar operators involved, S/Sgt Buford Kelley, S/Sgt Neil Braden, and S/Sgt John Hayes, were all highly trained and rated as excellent in their fields. Their equipment was in working order. The investigation noted that there was a time gap of about 22 to 27 minutes between the three separate sightings, creating some uncertainty about whether they were all the same object. Weather conditions reported clear skies with excellent visibility at altitude, and no meteorological conditions were found that might explain the sighting.

The Air Technical Intelligence Center examined the case and evaluated it as possibly being "slow-flying aircraft or aircraft" rather than an unknown object, though the case file shows no definitive conclusion was reached. The 33 page case file is reproduced below as held by the National Archives.