Project Blue Book Case File
Ironton, OhioJune 1963
Summary
On a June evening in 1963, motorists near Ironton, Ohio saw something unusual in the sky. From their car, they observed a small object that resembled a ferris wheel, complete with lights. The object moved slowly and gained altitude as they watched. Its brightness changed, and it maneuvered in erratic patterns. The witnesses heard no sound coming from it.
The Air Force investigators who examined the case noted that the object's motion and appearance were consistent with a balloon. A weather analysis prepared by an air traffic control specialist and aircraft accident investigator included detailed wind data at various altitudes, atmospheric temperatures, and cloud conditions recorded near the sighting location. The file documents these technical observations, though the OCR quality on the final pages becomes difficult to read.
Ultimately, the Air Force could not identify the object with certainty. The case was marked "unidentified" rather than classified as a balloon, despite the investigators' observation that the sighting's characteristics matched balloon behavior.
The full case file, comprising 10 pages as held by the National Archives, is reproduced below.
Reported location
Ironton, Ohio
Date of incident
June 1963
State / country
OH / US
Page count
10 scanned pages
USAF evaluation
unidentified
Microfilm
T1206, Roll 48