Dayton, OhioJuly 1958

Insufficient Data

Summary

On July 13, 1958, a civilian and two other observers in Grand Rapids, Michigan, reported seeing an unidentified flying object near the zenith (almost directly overhead). The object appeared to be round in shape and about the size of a quarter. It was white in color, with no visible trail, exhaust, or sound. The observers watched it move from southwest to northeast over a period of 60 to 90 seconds before it disappeared behind clouds.

The sighting was reported to the Ground Observer Corps (a civilian spotting network), which forwarded the information to the Air Force. Weather conditions at the time included broken clouds, winds of 20 to 30 knots at various altitudes, and visibility of 15 miles. The reporting reliability was judged as reasonably good.

In its analysis, the Air Force noted that a balloon was a possible explanation for the sighting. However, investigators found the duration somewhat short and the smooth motion of the object inconsistent with typical aircraft behavior, which tends to be more erratic. The file indicates that aircraft were also possible, though the Air Force lacked confirming data. Ultimately, the case was listed as having insufficient data for evaluation.

The full case file, consisting of 10 pages, is reproduced below as held by the National Archives.

Reported location

Dayton, Ohio

Date of incident

July 1958

State / country

OH / US

Page count

10 scanned pages

USAF evaluation

unknown

Microfilm

T1206, Roll 33

RE 3 : f | | : PROJECT 10073 RECORD CARD Jie 1. DATE 2. LOCATION 12. CONCLUSIONS O Was Balloon 12 ual 5 O Probably Balloon 3. DATE-TIME GROUP 4 TYPE OF OBSERVATION O Possibly Balloon 150 » Was Aircraft : RE 11 Rea RGround-Vi sval O Ground-Radar OQ Probably Aircraft GMT 13 [02507 0 Air Visual O Air-Intercept Radar O Possibly Aircraft S. PHOTOS . E O Was Astronomical O Yes O Probably Astronomical x No / Civilian D Possibly Astronomical 7. LENGTH OF OBSERVATION 8. NUMBER OF OBJECTS | 9. COURSE RE oR ————— O Insufficient Data for Evaluation 0 Unknown 80 secs one East 10. BRIEF SUMMARY OF SIGHTING 11. COMMENTS Obj with appearance of shooting star, Theee were two a/c in the area changed brightness. No sound. at the time, which is probably what was sighted, " ATIC FORM 329 (REV 26 SEP 52) a . i ; t | . 1) i SB a i RISA 45 SRR 50 Bi Sw O80 LAE ro TTR PRR I RE die |