Medway, MaineJuly 1956

On July 19, 1956, four separate witnesses in northern Maine reported seeing a fast-moving, flaming object pass across the sky in broad daylight. All four sightings occurred around the same time, roughly between 1521 and 1922 hours (around 3 to 10 p.m.), in the vicinity of Medway, Maine. The witnesses, a commercial pilot, a housewife, a paper mill repairman, and a sporting camp operator, described an object that was dark or bright colored, roughly the size of a baseball or football held at arm's length, with a trail of fire or smoke behind it that was two to three times larger than the object itself.

The object moved from west to east at tremendous speed, faster than any jet aircraft the witnesses had seen. The flame changed color during flight, going from red to orange to yellow, with flashes of blue. One witness said the object "flamed out" twice during his observation. Most accounts reported trails lasting only briefly before dissipating. The object made no sound, or the sound was not heard until after it disappeared from view. All sightings lasted between three and thirty seconds.

The investigating officers contacted Presque Isle Flight Service, which had no record of any missing or unidentified aircraft in the area. They also checked with the University of Maine's observatory and astronomy department. The professor of astronomy, Dr. Maynard Jordan, said the sightings matched the characteristics of meteors, particularly large ones. Meteors could appear flaming and travel at great speed, and more than one meteor could occur in the same area at the same time, though a very large meteor would normally leave physical evidence. Radar stations in the area had no corroborating reports.

The Air Force's investigating officer concluded that the sightings were probably meteors or a meteor shower. The approving officer agreed, noting that all four sightings fit meteor criteria in terms of size, shape, color, speed, and duration, and that Dr. Jordan's confirmation of multiple meteors in the same area supported the conclusion. The case was evaluated as "Probably Astronomical." The commercial pilot involved was in the wilderness after the sighting and could not be contacted for follow-up questions.

This case file of 20 pages is preserved in the National Archives as part of Project Blue Book microfilm T1206, Roll 25.