Project Blue Book Case File
Langley AFB, VirginiaAugust 1949
Summary
On the night of August 19, 1949, a soldier operating an antiaircraft searchlight near Cincinnati, Ohio, picked up an unusual object in the light beam. He was a sergeant running a standard Army General Electric searchlight on a volunteer basis for a local group using it for publicity. Between about 8 p.m. and 11 p.m. he tracked the object.
The object appeared to change color in the beam, from a phosphorescent look to a bluish color. When the beam was removed, the object stayed visible with a glowing appearance. It was reported to be north and slightly east of the city, nearly overhead, at an estimated altitude of about four to five miles. It did not seem to move and stayed roughly in place for the three and a half hours he watched it.
The report says several hundred people in the city saw the object, and a notice appeared in at least one local newspaper. On the Air Force record for unidentified flying object reports (Project 10073), the conclusion was insufficient data.
Reported location
Langley AFB, Virginia
Date of incident
August 1949
State / country
VA / US
Page count
3 scanned pages
USAF evaluation
unknown
Microfilm
T1206, Roll 6