Keesler AFB, MississippiFebruary 1954

On the night of February 27, 1954, three airmen at Keesler Air Force Base in Mississippi reported seeing an unidentified flying object. The witnesses were Joseph D. Johnson (Airman Third Class), James E. Jackson (Airman Third Class), and M.L. Reed (Technical Sergeant). All three observed the object from the ground near the base.

The object appeared as a round, solid shape giving off a bright incandescent light. It traveled in a straight line from south to north across the sky. The entire sighting lasted only about five seconds. During that brief time, the object split into two pieces and then disappeared.

The Air Force investigators noted that all the characteristics of the sighting matched those of a meteor entering Earth's atmosphere. The case file also includes a report from the captain of an American cargo ship, the SS Uruguay, who observed what he described as a brilliant yellow-green meteor on February 28, 1954, in the South Atlantic. That meteor turned dull red as it descended toward the horizon and had a fragmentary tail. While the ship's location was far from Mississippi, the timing and description were consistent with the type of object the airmen witnessed.

Based on this evidence, the Air Force concluded the sighting was most consistent with a meteor. The full case file, consisting of 7 pages, is reproduced below as held by the National Archives.