March AFB, Calif., October 1950March 1950

Two Air Force officers at March Air Force Base in Southern California observed an unusual bright object in the sky on the morning of October 14, 1950. One was a navigator and the other a polyglot mechanic, both stationed at the base. They saw the object from the "Dusty Acre 8" area of the base while performing celestial observations, a routine part of navigation training. The sighting lasted approximately five to six minutes.

The object appeared as a bright, reddish point of light with unsteady intensity, resembling a planet to the observers. It moved across the sky at what seemed to be very high speed, traveling on a true course of 160 to 180 degrees (roughly south) while the observers watched it from their 20-degree azimuth position (looking roughly north). Its altitude could not be determined, but it appeared to be at a great distance and high up, possibly within the celestial sphere. Most notably, the witnesses reported that the object performed "every maneuver and combination thereof known" to them, moving in erratic patterns rather than following a straight path.

The observers ruled out several conventional explanations. It could not be a star, planet, or meteor because it neither stayed in a fixed position nor maintained a constant speed or path. Its maneuvering and apparent altitude made it unlikely to be a balloon. The high altitude, high speed, and erratic movements also suggested it was not a conventional aircraft. The weather conditions were clear with only slight fog on the horizon and clear skies above ten degrees altitude. The file notes that an additional Air Force sergeant reported observing a similar object, providing some corroboration of the sighting. The Air Force evaluation for this case is listed as unknown.

The full case file is reproduced below as held by the National Archives, comprising 7 pages of scanned documents.