Kisalon, Mindanao, October 1957October 1957

On the morning of October 23, 1957, at 0500 (5:00 a.m.), a priest standing in front of his church at Kisalon, Mindanao saw a light approaching from the southeast. The light moved rapidly and took on the shape of a torpedo. Four distinct trails of fire stretched behind it, and when the object reached a point opposite the priest's location, it separated into two distinct parts. A fan shaped reddish flame appeared between the two sections, and then both pieces disappeared almost instantly. The priest reported that the object appeared to be traveling about 1,000 feet above a ridge he used as a reference point and was roughly the size of a C-47 aircraft flying at the same altitude.

The priest was a former chemistry and math instructor at Fordham University, which the reporting officer noted as raising the reliability of the account. Two other nearby witnesses also reported seeing the same object. A village official living on a ridge along which the object had passed told the priest that he and several people in his village had been awakened at 0500 by some unknown noise, though they saw no flash of fire. Another priest at a separate location also reported observing a moving light at approximately 0500 that same morning.

Investigators conducted an aerial reconnaissance of a 30 mile radius around the observation point but found low clouds and severe turbulence prevented adequate observation of the area. The region was extremely rough terrain inhabited by unfriendly tribes. The Air Force enlisted help from Philippine agencies to search for debris and interview locals about what had happened.

The file's comments section noted that if the positions given by the priest were accurate and an explosion had actually occurred, debris could have fallen within the search area. However, the investigation found no conclusive evidence. The official evaluation for this case was "unknown," and the file notes it was being carried in that category pending further information.

The full case file, comprising 16 pages as held by the National Archives, is reproduced below.