Jackson, MichiganJuly 1949

On the evening of July 25, 1949, a bright object fell from the sky near Vandercook Lake in Jackson, Michigan. The object struck the pavement in front of a house and burned a hole in the surface. According to the initial report, the object glowed for about three minutes without producing visible flame, which caught the attention of residents in the area.

The Air Force opened an investigation into the incident. Authorities collected a sample of the burned material and sent it to the Clark Equipment Company laboratory for analysis. The lab tests revealed that the object was almost certainly a truck flare (a highway safety device also called a fusee). The alkaline chemical composition of the sample matched exactly with standard railroad and highway flares used as emergency warning signals. The material also had a faint phosphorous smell, consistent with flare composition.

Based on the laboratory analysis, the Air Force concluded that the mystery object was a truck flare that had fallen or been discarded along the roadway. The "glowing" appearance and the hole it burned in the pavement were explained by the intense heat produced by the flare as it burned. The case was closed with the determination that there was nothing unusual about the incident once the object's true identity was established.

The full case file, comprising 8 pages, is reproduced below as held by the National Archives.