Gassoway, W. Virginia, December 1956December 1956

On the night of December 31, 1956, a U.S. Air Force pilot in an F-86D interceptor jet spotted an unusual object over Guam while flying at about 20,000 feet. The pilot, a First Lieutenant serving as an alert pilot with the 41st Fighter-Interceptor Squadron, watched the object for approximately 16 minutes. The object appeared as a bright white light that remained constant throughout the sighting.

The pilot initially thought the object was a B-47 bomber and turned to intercept it. What happened next puzzled him. The object came from a westerly direction, and when the pilot tried to close in on it, the object continued to turn with him, staying on the outside of his turn. The pilot knew no other fighters were airborne at the time, and other aircraft stationed nearby could not match the turning ability of his F-86D. The object then moved south for about 19 miles at the pilot's altitude before climbing to roughly 30,000 feet and circling overhead. When the pilot accelerated and turned to intercept again, the object continued to circle him and moved away whenever he tried to close the distance. Eventually the pilot had to break off the chase and return to Andersen Air Force Base because he was running low on fuel.

Intelligence personnel noted that the pilot was considered very reliable. They also confirmed that no other traffic was known to be in the area, and a check of all airfields and control stations verified this finding. However, the detailed maneuvers the object performed, combined with the lack of any known aircraft in the vicinity, left investigators uncertain about what the pilot had encountered. The file indicates the case was carried as "unknown" pending further information.

The full case file is reproduced below as held by the National Archives, comprising 7 pages.