Elmendorf AFB, AlaskaOctober 1955

On October 28, 1955, at Elmendorf Air Force Base in Alaska, a military observer reported sighting an object with an indefinite outline and dark color with an orange flame following it. The observation lasted 5 seconds. The object had no sound and its tail was 7 times its length at the start of the observation, reducing to 2 seconds in length to the same size as the object. Visibility was clear. The Air Force evaluation concluded the sighting was a possible meteor. Investigators found the short duration, color of the burning tail, inability to see the object after a 180-degree turn which took 12 to 15 seconds to complete, and the inability of the ground control station to paint the object on radar suggested the object was either a very large object going very fast beyond radar range or a very small object at close range. A pilot indicated the UFO resembled an aircraft more than a meteor, though the pilot had never seen a meteor at 25,000 feet close to his aircraft. Checks with military stations along the flight path and the University of Alaska indicated no meteor shower was expected during the period of the sighting.