Project Blue Book Case File
DAYTON, OHIOOctober 1952
Summary
In October 1952, four civilian observers in Dayton, Ohio reported seeing two bright orange or yellow lights moving slowly through the sky together. According to the witnesses, the lights traveled between 1920 and 2015 hours (7:20 p.m. and 8:15 p.m.), and a heavy drone sound accompanied them during the sightings.
The observers filled out detailed questionnaires describing what they saw. The lights appeared solid and gave off a distinct glow. Multiple witnesses noted the objects moved slowly across the sky, and some mentioned they observed the lights for several minutes. The sightings took place outdoors, and observers could see the objects through open space.
The Air Force interviewed the witnesses and collected their written accounts. A B-47 and B-17 aircraft were noted to have been in the area on routine operations, with a B-47 taking off from Patterson Air Force Base at 1911 hours (7:11 p.m.) and landing at 2043 hours (8:43 p.m.). The file indicates that investigators checked whether the observed objects might have been associated with these aircraft operations, though some witnesses reported not knowing what type of testing was occurring.
Despite the investigation and available information, the Air Force concluded this case as unidentified. The case file, comprising 59 pages held by the National Archives on microfilm T1206, Roll 16, is reproduced below.
Reported location
DAYTON, OHIO
Date of incident
October 1952
State / country
OH / US
Page count
59 scanned pages
USAF evaluation
unidentified
Microfilm
T1206, Roll 16