DAYTON, OHIOJuly 1952

On the evening of July 28, 1952, a technical draftsman at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base in Dayton, Ohio, observed an unusual object in the night sky along with his wife. The man called the Air Force to report what he had seen. He watched a bright round object that appeared about six inches across when viewed through field glasses and had a gold band running through its center. After about twenty minutes of observation, he spotted two additional similar objects that were either smaller or less bright. All three objects moved together on a heading of about 120 degrees. The primary object seemed to slow down at one point. There was no sound, and the witnesses could not estimate the objects' speed. The sightings lasted about an hour, and the observations were confirmed by the witness's wife and a neighbor.

A photograph related to this sighting was later analyzed by the Air Force's photo analysis team. The analysts examined the image and concluded that the object appeared to be a sphere suspended in the air, likely a gas-filled balloon. They estimated the object to be approximately three feet in diameter based on its position relative to nearby telegraph poles.

Another report in this file describes a sighting on the same date by a grocer in the Dayton area. This witness observed a blue-white-purple light moving silently at an estimated altitude of 1,000 feet and a speed of 400 to 500 miles per hour. The light disappeared suddenly after three seconds. Neighbors also witnessed the phenomenon.

The file also contains separate reports from Alaska, documenting unusual radar contacts made by fighter pilots and radar observers in July 1952. These radar signals behaved in ways that puzzled the pilots, with targets moving at high speeds, climbing rapidly, and maneuvering in ways that seemed beyond conventional aircraft capabilities. Despite multiple intercept attempts, pilots never made visual contact with any object. The radar observers noted that while the radar equipment was generally functioning normally, the atmospheric conditions in Alaska may have contributed to the unusual returns. The Air Force concluded that the radar contacts were likely caused by some atmospheric phenomenon rather than solid objects.

The Air Force evaluation for the Ohio sightings was unidentified. The full case file is reproduced below as held by the National Archives, comprising 27 pages.