Kansas City, Mo., February 1959February 1959

On February 25, 1959, a civilian driver near the Kansas City Viaduct in Kansas City, Missouri, spotted something unusual while driving south. The witness saw a round, orange object that appeared to glow brightly, standing out clearly against the fair, clear sky. The object was roughly the size of a grapefruit held at arm's length from the viewer's perspective.

The object moved from east to west, then banked sharply to the south, changing direction by about 90 degrees. The sighting lasted between 5 to 6 minutes. The witness watched the object with the naked eye at first, then switched to a telescope about 20 minutes after the initial sighting. The telescope used was a Smithsonian-level transit with 25 times magnification.

Air Force investigators asked several detailed follow-up questions, including how the object's size was estimated and what the wind conditions were at various altitudes. The Air Force also checked with relevant organizations to see if any balloon flights were scheduled in the area. Their search found no known balloons in the vicinity at that time. The weather data showed wind conditions ranging from 6 knots at the surface to 40 knots at 20,000 feet, with various directions at different altitudes.

The Air Force concluded that the sighting was probably an aircraft. This assessment appears on the official case record card, though the reasoning behind this conclusion is not detailed in the available file pages.

The full case file is reproduced below as held by the National Archives, consisting of 7 pages.