Forsyth, GeorgiaJanuary 1955

Insufficient Data

Summary

A flight observer aboard a B-47 jet aircraft saw an oval object with a shiny chrome or pinkish surface on January 12, 1955, while flying at roughly 20,000 feet over Forsyth, Georgia. The object appeared to the observer to be about the size of a dime held at arm's length, which he estimated would make it about fifty feet wide at that distance. The object was traveling northward. The sighting lasted approximately two minutes.

During the sighting, the object's brightness changed, and when the aircraft attempted to line up with it, the object shifted position from eleven o'clock to two o'clock (in the direction of the observer's view). The object then moved to the right, came back to the left upon further maneuvering, and finally vanished from sight.

The investigating Air Force officers noted that the sighting occurred during the daytime under clear skies with high cirrus clouds scattered across the upper atmosphere. The observer was an experienced flight crew member with significant flying hours. However, because only one person witnessed the event and details were limited, Air Force investigators concluded that the sighting was possibly caused by an optical phenomenon, such as a reflection off the cockpit window, rather than an unknown object. The full case file is reproduced below as held by the National Archives, comprising 11 pages.

Reported location

Forsyth, Georgia

Date of incident

January 1955

State / country

GA / US

Page count

11 scanned pages

USAF evaluation

unknown

Microfilm

T1206, Roll 22

Original case file scans

Original case file · scanned by NARAPage 1 of 11

View transcribed text

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i PROJECT 10073 RECORD CARD :
i { |
J i DATE : E LOCATION 12. CONCLUSIONS
1 4 : x : {J VYos Balloon
1 12 January 1955 | Forsyth, Georgia 5 Probably Balloon
| 3. DATE-TIME GROUP 4. TYPE OF OBSERVATION we———————={]1 Possibly Bolloon |
TPR RR 0 Ground-Vi sual C1 Ground-Radar sae, |
bp Sac RV IAB0R Ta | MNXAir- Visual 0 Air-Intercept Radar O Possibly Aircraft
; 5. FHOTOS 6. SOURCE 0 Was Astronomical
1 0 Yes 0 Probably Astronomical
Sls | 00 Possibly Astronomical
ART RES RR BE Civilian (Flight Ohserver)| rel A
4 7. LENGTH OF OB3ERVATION 8. NUMBER OF OBJECTS | 9. COURSE FHother POSS _11lusion
[J Insufficient Dora far Evaluation
3 0 Unknown
SEE TET ER DOT (| amy (CSE) | SA SADR SSE
4 10. BRIEF SUMMARY OF SIGHTING 11. COMMENTS
One oval, chrome or pink object, size | Investigated by "light 2-C,
| of dime at arm's length. was seen by !In the opinion of the investi-
| a flight observer through window of gating authority che sighting
| B-475, Estimated obj at 20,000 feet was caused (possibly) by opti-
above him, traveling northward. Obser cal phenomenon, i.e.,, reflec-
ver estimated diameter of obj at fift tion of something in cockpit,
feet,
|
J ATIC FORM 320 (REV 26 SEP 52)
|

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Source: National Archives Catalog · NAID 28960864