MONTANA Moses Lake, WashingtonOctober 1962

In early October 1962, military personnel at Larson Air Force Base in Washington observed glowing objects in the sky during two separate incidents. The witnesses were three airmen assigned to the base's 4173rd Combat Support Group, all described as very credible by investigators.

The first sighting occurred when an oval object with a reddish-orange color appeared at an elevation of about 30 degrees, positioned roughly west-southwest of the observers. The object descended for approximately 20 seconds before fading from view. About 60 seconds later, two objects of the same description appeared in the same location. These did not descend but also disappeared by fading after roughly 30 seconds in the sky.

Local investigators checked power lines in the direction of the sighting to rule out electrical flashing. They noted that an aurora (a natural atmospheric light display, also called the northern lights) had been observed in the area that evening. Weather conditions included scattered clouds, calm surface winds, and thunderstorms in the northwest and east-west quadrants. A cold front was moving through the region with surface winds gusting to 65 miles per hour.

The preliminary analysis concluded there was a strong possibility the sightings were caused by reflections of the aurora borealis off the cloud base. Local investigators also believed reflections were the likely cause. The Air Force evaluation listed the case as "unknown," though the file indicates investigators leaned toward an auroral explanation for the glowing objects.

The full case file is reproduced below as held by the National Archives, comprising 8 pages.