N. of Goodland, Kannas, April 1952April 1952

On the night of April 29, 1952, a bombardier aboard a B-29 aircraft spotted a strange light near Goodland, Kansas. The crew member was stationed in the bombardier's nose compartment, and the aircraft was cruising at 30,000 feet, heading east just above a thick cloud layer. At 2200 CST (10 p.m.), he noticed a soft white fan shaped light directly ahead, about 45 degrees above the horizon and roughly 5,000 feet above the plane. The light was moving rapidly westward, straight toward the aircraft.

The object's appearance was striking. The base appeared to be approximately 50 feet across, expanding to 100 to 150 feet at the trailing edge. The front edge was sharp and well defined, while the back tapered into an indefinite outline. Most remarkably, the light pulsated at an estimated 3 to 4 times per second. The entire observation lasted only about 2 seconds before the aircraft's own frame blocked the view. Only the light itself was visible, with no solid fuselage or other structure seen. The pilot heard no sound and detected no radio interference.

The Air Force investigated by checking with the Kansas City Air Traffic Control Center, which confirmed no other aircraft were in the area. The Air Force also contacted Washburn University's Department of Astronomy in Topeka to determine if the sighting could be explained by meteoric activity or other natural phenomena. The astronomy department found no unusual activity that would account for the observation. The officer who prepared the intelligence report noted that the bombardier had good reliability and solid technical background. The case file lists the final evaluation as "unknown."

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