Hamilton AND Cleves, OhioMarch 1955

On the evening of March 16, 1955, a bright object was spotted over Hamilton and Cleves, Ohio. The sighting occurred around 11:29 p.m. local time and lasted several minutes. The object was brighter than the surrounding sky and made no sound. Multiple people reported seeing it, and the object's appearance sparked immediate interest from local air traffic control.

Patterson Military Flight Service Center was contacted to check for aircraft in the area. A radar operator, identified as "Moonshine," reported detecting a jet aircraft at 30,000 feet over Hamilton at approximately the same time as the UFO sighting. The altitude and timing suggested the radar blip and the visual sighting might be the same event, though the connection remained uncertain.

The case file includes detailed witness questionnaires and sketches from three separate observers. The witnesses described the object's brightness, movement patterns, and apparent size with varying degrees of certainty. One witness estimated the object was roughly 50 feet long, while another suggested its size could change. Accounts of the object's color ranged from descriptions of a bright, glowing appearance without specific color identification to references to reds and other hues. The witnesses indicated the object moved across the sky before disappearing from view, though the exact trajectory and final disappearance differ somewhat in the various accounts.

The Air Force's investigation included checks of local aircraft activity and examination of weather conditions at the time. The weather was reported as clear to hazy with no significant wind. Despite the radar contact and multiple witnesses, the case file notes the Air Force evaluation as "unknown," meaning the object could not be identified as a known aircraft, weather phenomenon, or astronomical event based on the available evidence.

The full case file, consisting of 31 pages as held by the National Archives, is reproduced below.