New Orleans, LouisianaNovember 1953

On November 14, 1953, an artist working at the corner of Royal and Conti Streets in New Orleans, Louisiana, spotted two unusual objects in the afternoon sky. The observer described them as round and pancake-shaped, with a silver color. One object appeared above the other, positioned like hands on a clock at two o'clock. Notably, one of the objects first looked spherical but appeared to change shape, flattening into a pancake form as it banked, similar to the other object's appearance.

The two objects moved fairly slowly toward the northwest, traveling from over New Orleans in the direction of Baton Rouge. The observer watched them until going inside a building to use the telephone, at which point the objects were still visible in the sky. The entire sighting lasted about two hours.

The observer mentioned to investigators that the objects might have been weather balloons, except for their distinctive pancake shape. The U.S. Navy tower in New Orleans reported that they had two helicopters operating west of the city at approximately the time of the sighting. Weather conditions at the time were clear skies with visibility of six thousand feet.

The Air Force concluded that the objects were unidentified. The case file notes that several curious persons, including one meteorologist, were consulted during the investigation. The full case file, comprising eleven pages, is reproduced below as held by the National Archives.