Dayton, OhioJune 1954

Unidentified

Summary

On the night of June 21, 1954, around 10:20 p.m. Eastern time, a civilian observer in Dayton, Ohio reported seeing a bright, glowing object in the sky. The object appeared solid but with fuzzy, blurred edges, according to the witness's description. It was round in shape and roughly the color of the moon, with a creamy white hue. The witness watched it for several minutes before it disappeared by gradually becoming smaller and fading from view.

The object made no sound during the sighting. The witness described it as bright, standing out noticeably against the night sky. The observer indicated they could not estimate the object's speed or distance with confidence. Weather conditions at the time were scattered clouds with no wind and cool temperatures.

The Air Force's investigation noted that the description was consistent with a balloon observation, though the nighttime viewing presented challenges for analysis. The file states that there was insufficient data for a firm conclusion, though the investigators leaned toward a balloon explanation based on the object's appearance and behavior. The case was officially marked unidentified.

The full case file is reproduced below as held by the National Archives, comprising 18 pages of scanned records.

Reported location

Dayton, Ohio

Date of incident

June 1954

State / country

OH / US

Page count

18 scanned pages

USAF evaluation

unidentified

Microfilm

T1206, Roll 21

Original case file scans

Original case file · scanned by NARAPage 1 of 18

View transcribed text

i
Ir
if > ;
8
{ : j
PROJECT 10073 RECORD CARD
; 1. DATE | 2. LOCATION 12. CONCLUSIONS
| AR Sig | She ie 00 Was Bolloon
E 2 June 1954 | vayton, Chio 0 Probably Balloon
4 3. DATE-TIME GROUP 4. TYPE OF OBSERVATION O Possibly Balloon
4 2105EDST § 0 Wos Aicroft
4 bt bre eR 8 Gmund- Visual D3 Ground-Rodar O Probably Aircraft
i [17h AEA A 0 He ATE re 0 AirVYisuol 0 Air-Intercept Rodar BO Possibly Aircraft
4 5. PHOTOS . SOURCE 0 Was Astronomical
| a Yes ©) Probobly Astronomical
1 Qa No Civilian 3 Possibly Astronomicel
id 7. LENGTH OF OBSERYATION 8. MUMBER OF OBJECTS | 9. COURSE O Other
i Tas Mm Insufficient Dota for Evaivation
: oh = a TEE 0 Unknown
; deiman § 5eC 3 wT
B10. BRIEF SUMMARY OF SIGHTING ~~ |1). COMMENTS SR cere
i Bright as luminescent light. No sound. Appesargd Generl information, no specifics,
solid with some fuzziness at circumference, Manner of disa :arAnce not indieczted,
i Round, Insufficient data.
1
i
i eee —————————————
i ATIC FORM 329 (REV 26 SEP 52)
I
i

/ 18

Use ← → keys to navigate · scans hosted by the U.S. National Archives

Source: National Archives Catalog · NAID 28958696