Project Blue Book Case File
KNOXVILLE, TENNESSEEOctober 1952
Summary
On October 21, 1952, about 1 to 2 minutes long, a weather observer at the Weather Bureau Airport Station in Knoxville, Tennessee, reported six white objects while tracking a pilot balloon with a standard theodolite. The objects appeared in the theodolite's field of view 57 minutes after the white 100-gram balloon was released, which would place them at about 54,347 feet.
The six objects were in a very loose formation. They appeared round or nearly so, were white or whitish like the balloon, and looked about the same size as the balloon at that altitude. While holding a loose formation, the objects appeared to make a long, shallow dive toward the rising balloon, as if to investigate it, then passed it and pulled up at a sharper angle and increased speed. The balloon disappeared from view at about 58,000 feet and could have burst.
The elevation angle was 36.5 degrees and the azimuth was about 267.6 degrees. The record card notes the objects were observed by theodolite and that two other similar observations were on file. Project 10073 is the Air Force's record for unidentified flying object reports. No final conclusion is given; the card marks the case as unknown.
Reported location
KNOXVILLE, TENNESSEE
Date of incident
October 1952
State / country
TN / US
Page count
2 scanned pages
USAF evaluation
unidentified
Microfilm
T1206, Roll 16