Kadena AB, Naha Okinawa, October 1961October 1961

On the night of October 29, 1961, a reconnaissance pilot at Kadena Air Base in Naha, Okinawa looked up at the dark sky and saw a bright white object with a white tail. The object was small, about the size of a pea held at arm's length. It moved in a straight line from west to east, traveling fast and flat across the sky. Within two seconds, the larger front part of the object burned out, but a smaller section continued moving eastward before disappearing. The pilot watched the entire event for roughly two to four seconds.

The pilot was described in the report as mature, highly reliable, and extremely well qualified to tell the difference between meteors and unusual sightings. He stated emphatically that he believed the object was definitely not a meteor or meteorite. However, local reports of meteor activity at the time suggested the possibility that what the pilot saw actually was a meteor or meteorite. The investigating intelligence officer noted that all the characteristics of a bolide, or bright meteor, were present in the sighting. No other possible explanations were available from local sources.

No photographs were taken, and no physical evidence was recovered. Ground and air traffic records showed no aircraft or balloon releases that could account for the sighting. The 51st Fighter Interceptor Wing checked all possible sources with no results. The Air Force concluded that the object was probably a bolide, though the pilot's insistent disagreement with that explanation remained part of the record. The complete case file, originally classified but now declassified, is reproduced below as held by the National Archives and consists of eight pages.