NATIONAL CITY, CALIF, March 1952March 1952

On the evening of March 2, 1952, near National City, California, an aircraft engineer and his wife observed an unusual glowing object while driving east on Highway 94. At approximately 7:30 p.m., the engineer noticed a bright green light illuminating the ground and surrounding houses. He described the object as a ball of green light, roughly the size of the full moon, with a color he compared to a glowing gas flame or the arc of a street car trolley on a cloudy night. The outline appeared fuzzy rather than sharp.

The engineer estimated the object was no more than a mile away and positioned between 40 and 50 degrees above the horizon. He noted that it appeared either stationary or drifting slowly eastward, though he acknowledged his own car's motion may have affected his perception. Because the car windows were closed and the engine was loud, he heard no sound associated with the object. The light did not fade gradually but instead disappeared suddenly after approximately five seconds of observation.

The engineer, a 19-year aeronautical specialist with experience observing aircraft, emphasized that this was not a meteor in the conventional sense. He stated he was "convinced that this was not a 'meteor'" and believed the object was neither falling nor flying in the normal manner of an airplane. In his view, the phenomenon lay "outside the limits of our present knowledge" and could not be explained by conventional means. The sighting was also witnessed by another observer in San Diego who estimated the elevation angle at approximately 20 degrees.

The file includes mathematical computations submitted by the engineer and colleagues in an attempt to triangulate the object's position and altitude using multiple observation points. Local newspapers reported that hundreds of San Diego residents witnessed the phenomenon, with tentative identifications offered by Navy installations, the Coast Guard, and astronomy professionals as a large meteor. However, one astronomer noted that an accurate determination would have required more detailed reports of direction, speed, and altitude.

The Air Force's District Commander forwarded these reports to Air Materiel Command at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base with a note that no further action was contemplated unless additional reports were received. The file shows no formal conclusion regarding the object's identity. This case file, comprising nine pages of declassified records, is held by the National Archives.