Midway Island To Oshu - beyond Necker I., September 1947 - Incident Number: 59September 1947

On the evening of September 12, 1947, two Pan American Airways pilots observed an unusual object while flying eastbound from Midway Island toward Osaka, Japan. The pilots, both experienced aviators with thousands of hours in the air, first spotted the object about one mile off the right side of their aircraft. It appeared as a bright white light, resembling an incandescent bulb, with no trace of blue color.

As the object grew brighter and larger, the pilots prepared to switch from automatic to manual control. At that moment, the object suddenly changed course and split into two separate lights with a reddish hue. The two red lights were dimmer than the original white light and appeared to be about a wing-length apart. The pilots noted the object's extraordinary speed, noting it traveled faster than their aircraft and disappeared about 30 miles ahead of them. The entire sighting lasted approximately six seconds. The pilots estimated the object was traveling at about 1,000 knots.

The pilots ruled out a meteor, saying the object held its altitude throughout the sighting, remaining at roughly 9,500 feet. They maintained the object had clearly changed course and stayed level rather than dropping at an angle. Both men were questioned about the possibility of optical illusion, but both firmly stated that the object appeared to change direction and maintain altitude throughout.

The Air Force investigators who reviewed the case concluded from the available evidence that the object was likely a fireball, a naturally occurring meteor. They noted that fireballs are known to change course abruptly when splitting and to shift from a white to reddish color during this process. They also observed that at sunset, fireballs typically move slowly and travel in nearly horizontal paths, which would be consistent with the pilots' observations.

The full case file is reproduced below as held by the National Archives, spanning 9 pages.