Jackson, Tenn., February 1959February 1959

On the evening of February 7, 1959, someone in Jackson, Tennessee reported seeing an object fall from the sky near a railroad yard. The object was described as about 35 feet long. It traveled from southwest to northeast at a slow speed, descended to about 500 feet above the ground, and then struck the earth. As it fell, its tail seemed to catch fire and burn brightly.

A man named Mr. Wilson went to the impact site and found a small fire. He picked up a piece of blue and yellow plastic from the location and turned the material over to authorities through Memphis Air Traffic Control. The Air Force documented the physical evidence and collected witness statements.

By the next day, public reports suggested that a prankster had inflated a balloon with explosive gas and attached a fuse to it. According to this theory, the burning fuse would have looked like a moving light in the sky, and when the fire reached the balloon itself, it would have exploded in a bright flash. This explanation matched what witnesses had described: a bright, slow-moving object that caught fire as it fell.

The Air Force evaluated the case as "unknown," meaning it did not reach a firm conclusion about what had occurred. The full case file, comprising 7 pages, is reproduced below as held by the National Archives.