Kansas City Mo., January 1950January 1950

On the evening of January 6, 1950, two employees of Bendix Aviation in Kansas City punched out at 1926 hours (7:26 p.m.) and stepped into the parking lot. Looking toward the southwest, they spotted what appeared at first to be a star, but quickly realized it was something else entirely, an airborne object of unknown origin. The sky was clear, the moon was rising, and they would spend the next 25 to 30 minutes watching it.

The object was round in shape, though without sharp edges visible through its brilliant white glow. From the center and sometimes from the outer edges came periodic flashes of bright red or orange light, like a mirror reflecting a beam across their eyes. These flashes were not constant but pulsed on and off throughout the entire sighting. The men estimated the object hovered initially at 8,000 to 10,000 feet, then gradually descended to between 3,000 and 4,000 feet, appearing to be about 6 to 8 inches in diameter at an estimated distance of 30 miles. One witness later described it as resembling the planet Saturn. The object made no sound and appeared to hover motionless for roughly 10 minutes before moving slowly off to the west and southwest. When it disappeared, it seemed to fade rather than vanish abruptly.

The two witnesses drove to a hilltop south and west of the Bendix plant to get a better view, and from there they could see the object appeared to be over or beyond the Olathe Naval Air Base. On the return drive, they kept the object in sight for half the journey back. Once they reached their original vantage point, the object was gone. Neither witness reported any lateral movement, only what seemed to be a very slow descent and westward drift. One observer noted that he initially thought the object appeared greenish, then decided it was a light orange, almost white color, with a red ring encircling it that expanded at regular intervals.

The U.S. Air Force Office of Special Investigations conducted interviews with both men in mid-January 1950. The investigators found both witnesses credible and reliable. One had served 3.5 years in the Navy as a mechanic, including 11 months in the Pacific, and listed flying among his hobbies. The other, born in January 1931, was interested in photography and first aid. The Bendix Aviation administration confirmed that both men were dependable, of good character, and sound in judgment. Neither man had consumed alcohol that evening. Both stated unequivocally that the object bore no resemblance to any airplane, dirigible, or balloon they knew of.

A second sighting report from the same night reached Lowry Flight Service Center in Denver, documenting two objects observed over Kansas City and Olathe, Kansas. That report noted the objects were spherical, brilliant white with orange and red flashes, and appeared motionless over Olathe for 10 to 15 minutes before moving off very fast to the southwest at an estimated 7,000 to 8,000 feet. No sound or exhaust trail was reported.

The case file does not state a final conclusion from the Air Force regarding what the objects were. The full case file, comprising 19 pages as held by the National Archives, is reproduced below.