Decatur, GeorgiaApril 1955

Insufficient Data

Summary

A child observed a white light in the sky above Decatur, Georgia, on April 15, 1955. The observer, an 11-year-old, was looking west through a pair of toy binoculars when he saw the light. The object moved slowly to the west and disappeared from sight after about five minutes.

The Air Force's investigation, led by Flight 2-C, could reach no definite conclusion about what the child had seen. However, the investigators noted that the observer's young age was definitely a factor in evaluating the sighting. In the end, they concluded the object was probably a radiosonde (a weather balloon used to measure atmospheric conditions). The Atlanta Weather Bureau had released weather balloons at approximately the same time as the sighting. The area had numerous aircraft in operation, and weather conditions that day showed scattered clouds with fifteen miles of visibility.

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

Reported location

Decatur, Georgia

Date of incident

April 1955

State / country

GA / US

Page count

10 scanned pages

USAF evaluation

unknown

Microfilm

T1206, Roll 23

Original case file scans

Original case file · scanned by NARAPage 1 of 10

View transcribed text

| |

EB

| j

nn : PROJECT 10073 RECORD CARD

TE a TT —

: i 0 Was a

§ os 0 Probably Balloon

I | 18 April 1065 | Decatur, Georgia |Z Erekebly Ballon

j : 3. DATE-TIME GROUP 4. TYPE OF OBSERVATION

3 J | RR RE EE a TTR eR A XX Ground- Visual 0 Ground-Radar B Grbolly Airerel |

: b emt. 19701007 PETAR 0 Air Visual J Air-Intercept Radar W rossitly Alreraft

= 5. PHOTOS RET ; 6. SOURCE 0 Was Astronomical
i O Yes oO Probably Astronomical
1 EARS TI EB yilian (11 yr o 1d) v O Possibly Astronomical
4 7. LENGTH OF ORSERVATION 8. NUMB:R OF OBJECTS | 9. COURSE HIE TRE 1 SALE R
NE 0 Insufficient Dara for Evaluation | ‘
BE « : 0 Unknown
1 | LL BRED See Oe MOREORIY Nie iat
A 10. BRIEF SUMMARY OF SIGHTING 11. COMMENTS

| 3 Observer looking west through a Age of source dfinitely

E pair of toy binoculars and he a factor although Flight

I 3 observed a white light in the sky. 2-C reports he probably did

| Light traveling slowly to the see an obj. Follow up invas-

| i wost, Disappeared after approx five tigation came to no definite
3 minutes, conclusions but in their
1 opinion the sighting was
] probably a balloon of the
3 radio-sonde type,
3 ATIC FORM 329 (REV 26 SEP 52)

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Source: National Archives Catalog · NAID 28961748