North Bay Ontario, Canada, April 1952April 1952

In April 1952, two Canadian military officers stationed at North Bay, Ontario reported seeing a bright amber disc in the sky over the RCAF airfield. The witnesses were WO E.H. Rossell, an experienced aircraft maintenance superintendent, and Flight Sergeant Reg McRae. Both men were driving near the base when they spotted the object around 8:30 p.m. on a Saturday.

The disc behaved in unusual ways. It came from the southwest, moved across the airfield, then stopped in mid-air. It hovered briefly before taking off in reverse direction at what the men described as terrific speed. Most notably, it climbed away at a 30-degree angle. The sighting lasted about two minutes.

The same station also reported an earlier sighting from January 1 that year. Two other airmen, WO W.J. Yeo (a master telecommunications technician) and Sergeant D.V. Crandell (an instrument technician), said they watched a reddish-orange object move over the field at supersonic speed for eight minutes and 43 seconds. They reported it traveled roughly parallel to the earth with occasional changes in direction, including climbing and diving motions, but made no sound. They judged it to be at a height outside the earth's atmosphere.

The Air Force investigation found no physical evidence or explanation for the sightings. The RCAF and U.S. Air Force recognized that the witnesses were all veteran personnel experienced in identifying conventional aircraft, and their reports could not be easily dismissed. The file indicates the sightings stirred considerable public interest and prompted statements from Canadian scientific leaders who said the reports deserved serious study. The Air Force concluded the objects were probably balloons, though the file shows no definitive explanation was established.

The full case file, comprising 23 pages as held by the National Archives, is reproduced below.