Metairie, LouisianaNovember 1962

On the evening of November 1, 1962, a couple driving home along Veteran's Highway in Metairie, Louisiana spotted what looked like sky writing in the distance. The husband was driving eastward along the road when his wife noticed a small silvery-white streak about a mile or two away. They waited to see more writing appear, but instead discovered they were watching an aircraft.

As they drove closer toward David Drive, the streak changed color, turning pink and then red. A light appeared at the front of the object as it moved rapidly through the sky. The couple estimated it was about two or three thousand feet up when stationary, but it climbed quickly once it began moving. They eventually lost sight of it due to the distance and darkness. A couple of other cars also stopped to watch, and the occupants asked the witnesses what they were seeing, but nobody could identify the object.

The witnesses called the airport, a local newspaper, the FBI, and the Air Force's Special Investigation Department when they got home, but received no helpful information or follow-up. The Air Force responded to the couple's letter to the President by requesting they complete a detailed questionnaire. On the form, they described the object's color as shiny white turning pinkish and then red, noted the observation lasted about ten minutes, and said it moved in an easterly direction. The file evaluates the sighting as unknown, though an earlier notation suggests the Air Force considered it might be a contrail with an aircraft, with the color changes caused by the sun's reflection.

The complete case file is reproduced below as held by the National Archives, spanning 14 pages.