Monroe, La., May 1956May 1956

On the night of May 22, 1956, two U.S. Air Force pilots flying a T-33 jet trainer near Monroe, Louisiana reported an extraordinary encounter with an unidentified object. First Lieutenant Earl D. Holwadel, flying in the front seat, and First Lieutenant Curtis Carley, in the rear, spotted a brilliant light in the sky around 11:05 p.m. and decided to investigate. What followed was a 15-minute chase roughly 50 miles northwest of Monroe at an altitude of about 18,000 to 19,000 feet.

Holwadel described the object as egg-shaped, bulky, and cross-like in form, roughly 30 to 40 feet long. It was intensely bright white, with what appeared to be a high-windshield observation dome at its center and a red running light on top. At its closest point, about 75 yards away, Holwadel reported the craft passed beneath his nose, flooding his canopy with blinding white light. He could see the underside, which he described as steel construction with a ribbed, wave-like appearance. Carley, flying behind, estimated the object as possibly 100 to 150 feet in its longest dimension. Both pilots noted the object could hover nearly motionless, then suddenly accelerate to speeds exceeding their aircraft's 300-400 knots. They could see no exhaust, hear no sound, and detected no shock wave. The pilots reported fantastic maneuverability and a solid appearance consistent with a physical object, not a reflection or atmospheric effect.

The investigation that followed was thorough. Air Force officials checked with nearby military bases, civilian airports, radar stations, and Flight Service centers. They found no aircraft in the area at the time. Critically, investigators learned that the U.S. Weather Observatory in Shreveport, Louisiana had released a 500-gram radiosonde (weather balloon) carrying a white light suspended 80 to 100 feet below it at 9 p.m. on May 22. The balloon could have drifted over the Monroe area by approximately 10 p.m., according to wind data. The approving officer's conclusion centered on this balloon hypothesis: as the jet aircraft passed near a balloon, the air currents and exhaust would create an illusion of erratic movement. The bright light on the end of the balloon's suspension line, when viewed from an aircraft passing below, would appear intensely bright after the pilot's eyes had adjusted to darkness. The moon that night would have illuminated the white balloon, creating a dome-like effect. Red light from a parachute attached to the suspension train might account for the red light one observer noted. The oscillating suspension train would cause the light to appear in various positions relative to the balloon.

The preparing officer, however, disagreed. He believed the object's apparent growth as the aircraft approached it and shrinkage as it withdrew indicated a solid, physical object rather than an optical illusion. He suggested a temperature inversion in the area may have contributed to an optical phenomenon. The approving officer ultimately rejected this view, settling on the radiosonde balloon as the explanation. The file contains 16 pages and is reproduced below as held by the National Archives.