North Pacific (Hawaii), July 1959July 1959

On the early morning of July 11, 1959, over the North Pacific near Hawaii, multiple commercial airline pilots reported seeing an unusually bright light that moved at high speed and made sharp turns. The sighting began around 1302 Zulu time (2:02 a.m. Hawaii local time) and was observed by crews from at least five different aircraft, including Pan American Airways flights, a Canadian Pacific Airlines flight, and a Slick Airways flight.

The object, or objects, was described in various ways by different witnesses. Some pilots reported a single large bright light surrounded by smaller lights arranged in different formations. One pilot described it as an intensely bright white light followed by four smaller lights. Another said it looked like a large tracer or flare. The brightness was compared to an automobile headlight a block away or to Venus itself. The color varied in some reports, with descriptions including pure white, orange-yellow, and bluish-white.

The object appeared to approach each aircraft at very high speed on what seemed like a collision course, then abruptly turned and disappeared. Observation times ranged from three to fifteen seconds. One pilot noted the object came from the southwest, made a 90-degree turn, and disappeared to the south. The aircraft involved were cruising at altitudes ranging from about 11,000 to 20,000 feet. All pilots agreed the object moved faster than any known aircraft. The sky was clear during the sightings, though accounts differed on whether there was moonlight or traces of daylight visible.

Significantly, the pilots disagreed on whether the phenomenon could have been a meteor. One pilot was emphatic that it was not a meteor because it had no tail. Two other pilots said it could have been a meteor. Two made no opinion. The Air Force evaluated the reports and concluded that the object was probably a fireball, a type of exceptionally bright meteor. The analysis noted that experienced observers can make errors under the strain of excitement, and pointed out inconsistencies in the witness accounts as support for the meteor explanation.

The full case file, consisting of 22 pages, is reproduced below as held by the National Archives.