Project Blue Book Case File
Fukuoka, Japan, April 1953April 1953
Summary
On April 8, 1953, at about 1955 (7:55 p.m.) local time, a military pilot reported an object near Fukuoka, Japan. The witness was a first lieutenant flying an F-94B interceptor at 30,000 feet at about 200 knots. The radar observer in the back seat did not see it.
The pilot first saw a dark object, then it lit into a bright blue colored flame. It appeared about 4,000 to 5,000 feet above the aircraft and about 20 degrees to the right of the nose. It crossed in front of the plane, diving and gaining speed, then turned back and settled into a position about three degrees right of the nose and one to two miles away, flying parallel to the plane. The pilot started to climb. The light then went out. The sighting lasted about 45 seconds.
The radar did not pick up the object even though it was working properly. There was no other air traffic reported in the area above 16,000 feet. A weather balloon released earlier did not carry lights. The Air Force concluded the case was unidentified.
Reported location
Fukuoka, Japan, April 1953
Date of incident
April 1953
State / country
? / XX
Page count
6 scanned pages
USAF evaluation
unknown
Microfilm
T1206, Roll 18