Creola, AlabamaJuly 1953

On or about July 31, 1953, a man driving north on Highway 43 near Creola, Alabama, saw a bright reddish object flash across the sky. The object crossed the highway at high speed and high altitude, heading from southwest to northeast, and vanished in seconds. He heard no sound and saw no aircraft. The night was clear with scattered clouds.

Over the next eighteen days, four more people reported similar sightings in the same area. On August 1, a woman saw a reddish and amber glow heading northeast across Highway 43 in broad daylight. On August 2, a Methodist preacher reported an amber object descending from north to south with a curved leading edge, traveling much faster than any airplane. On August 2 again, a woman described a parachute-like object descending from northwest to southeast at intense speed, with a bright reflective glow. On August 17, two observers together watched a bright reddish glow streak across the sky parallel to Highway 43 for about three seconds.

An Air Force intelligence officer from Brookley Air Force Base investigated by collecting written statements from all six witnesses. The file notes the reliability ratings given to each observer and includes detailed weather data for each date. One witness was identified as a Methodist preacher with knowledge of meteorology. Another was a grocer. A third was a woman who drew the object's attention to it. None reported any sound, and all agreed the objects moved faster than any aircraft they had seen. The file includes weather reports showing clear or scattered cloud conditions on each sighting date.

In a memo dated November 23, 1953, an Air Force intelligence analyst wrote that the Creola case "cover four separate days" and that "there is possibly pay dirt in these" sightings, but noted they were late in being reported and no interception was possible. The analyst suggested follow-up investigation would be warranted, though it appears none was conducted. The case file does not state a final Air Force conclusion.

The complete case file is reproduced below as held by the National Archives, 24 pages total.