FESTUS, MISSOURIOctober 1954

On the night of October 13, 1954, a civilian reported an object on a highway about 14 miles south of Festus, Missouri. The witness was driving at about 55 to 60 miles per hour during light rain. The sighting lasted only a few seconds.

The man first noticed a yellowish light pacing an oncoming car. Then he saw a dark bar shaped shadow low over the wet road. The shape changed to an oval and then a full circle as it moved across in front of his car. He described it as a very flat cylinder about 12 to 14 inches across and 1 to 2 inches thick, like a large picnic plate. It rotated slowly and changed from yellowish white to greyish white to a brilliant glowing white. As the cars closed in, it suddenly raced at his windshield and passed over the hood of his car. He swerved, and it seemed to veer off to the right. It made no sound and left no trail. The man was not sure if the object glowed on its own or only reflected his headlights.

The Air Force record listed the conclusion as other, possibly debris or a reflection. The case was filed under Project 10073, the Air Force's official record for unidentified flying object reports.