Hawthorne, Calif, September 1955September 1955

On September 2, 1955, at night in Hawthorne, California, a civilian saw a light in the sky. The witness worked in the communications department of an airline in Los Angeles. The sighting lasted about 10 minutes.

The observer reported one fairly bright white light, first seen low in the north. It moved slowly until it was directly overhead, hovered, then headed west out over the ocean before gradually disappearing. The witness could not tell the object's size, shape, speed, or altitude and did not believe it was an aircraft. The sky was clear, with broken clouds reported at about 8,000 feet at a nearby station.

The Air Force concluded the object was a possible balloon. The preparing officer believed it was likely a Goodyear blimp from Los Angeles, which had been operating in the area in recent days. The record card lists the evaluation as possible balloon, based on the duration of the sighting, the winds, and the bobbing motion.