Lincoln, NebraskaOctober 1959

On the night of October 7, 1959, a family in southeast Lincoln, Nebraska saw something strange in the sky. The father, mother, and their son, who had been studying astronomy, were outside when the mother spotted a round object between white and yellow in color. It was about the size of a dime and dimmed and brightened as it moved.

The object traveled at very high speed in an erratic pattern. It first headed northwest, then made abrupt ninety-degree turns, moving in sharp angles rather than smooth curves. The family said it appeared to pause briefly at each turn. Eventually the object faded from sight toward the southeast. The entire sighting lasted about two minutes. The family, who had watched jets at high altitude in the area before, said this object was moving much faster than any aircraft they had seen.

When the Air Force investigated, the officers interviewed found the family sincere and credible. The observers gave a thorough account of the object's movements and flight path. No other reports of the sighting came in. No aircraft were scheduled to be in the area at that time except for landings at Lincoln Air Force Base. The investigating officer could not explain what the family had seen. The Air Force noted that the description suggested a high-flying aircraft, except for the sharp, abrupt turns, which aircraft cannot perform.

The file indicates the Air Force could not conclusively identify the object as any known aircraft, balloon, or natural phenomenon, which is why it remained classified as unidentified. The full case file, comprising 9 pages as held by the National Archives, is reproduced below.