Misawa AB, Japan, May 1952May 1952

On the night of May 8, 1952, a pilot and radar observer flying an F-94 fighter jet near Misawa Air Base in Japan saw a streak of colored light cross the sky. The sighting lasted only three to five seconds. The light began as a greenish-blue streak, shifted to yellow, then turned orange-red before disappearing. The aircraft was flying north at seven thousand feet when the object appeared at their one o'clock position (to their right), roughly level with their altitude.

The pilot reported that he had noticed a flashing white light near the horizon about two minutes before the main sighting. After seeing the bright streak, he flew north along the coastline for about thirty miles searching for wreckage. The radar observer added that the object moved in a falling arc pattern across the sky. Neither witness reported hearing any sound, and they could not identify any solid shape, only light.

The sky was clear with slight haze that night. The radar system was functioning normally before and after the incident, although no radar scope presentation of the object was recorded. No interception was attempted, and no wreckage was found.

Air Force intelligence in Japan noted that Japanese observatories had reported no recent increase in meteorite activity. The deputy for intelligence suggested that a lighted weather balloon, behaving erratically, combined with the limitations of night vision, might account for such sightings. The case file indicates the incident was initially rated as "unknown" but was later downgraded to a lower classification level by the Deputy for Intelligence. The full case file is reproduced below as held by the National Archives across seven pages.