McKeesport, PennsylvaniaJune 1957

On the evening of June 26, 1957, a woman in McKeesport, Pennsylvania, was sitting on her back porch when she glanced up and saw three round, white objects in the sky. She described them as about the size of an orange or grapefruit, with two objects in front and one trailing behind. As the objects moved, they appeared to flatten out. At one point, one of the trailing objects flashed a bright red light before the three objects disappeared into a dark cloud. The woman watched for three to five minutes before they vanished completely.

The woman told investigators that she was certain the objects were not airplanes. She saw military jets the following day and noted that whatever she had observed did not move or behave like aircraft. She compared the objects to "flying saucers" from a science fiction movie, noting they looked exactly like what she had seen on screen. A second witness present at the time, the woman's mother-in-law, also observed the objects but declined to make a formal statement and did not wish to be involved further.

An Air Force T-33 jet that was on a routine training flight nearby was diverted to the area about two hours after the sighting. The pilot reported seeing numerous F-84 National Guard aircraft and many light planes in the vicinity but found no trace of the objects. The Greater Pittsburgh Air Traffic Control tower had detected an unidentified target in the McKeesport area on radar, though radar operators later determined an inbound F-84 was likely responsible for that blip. The Weather Bureau confirmed that no weather balloons had been released in the area at the time of the sighting.

The investigating captain concluded that the steel mills in the McKeesport area, which produce vast quantities of dust and smoke, probably created the illusion when sunlight and artificial lighting hit them at the right angle. He noted that the area was responsible for many such "flying saucer" reports received by his station. The case file does not contain a final official conclusion as to whether the objects were balloons, aircraft, or something else, though the preliminary evaluation on the record card lists the case as "unknown." The complete case file, including seven pages of investigation notes, interviews, and technical data, is reproduced below as held by the National Archives.