Oak Ridge, Tenn, December 1950December 1950

On December 5, 1950, two people reported an object over Oak Ridge, Tennessee, between about 12:45 p.m. and 1:00 p.m. The report is part of Project 10073, the Air Force's official record for unidentified flying object reports.

A secretary at the Security Division saw the object flying east at slow speed, about two miles away and about 500 feet up. She described it as brilliant metallic, like aluminum or burnished metal that reflected light, and round, flat, or disc like. When it seemed to turn left toward the northwest, it stopped reflecting light and looked smaller and dark gray. It left no clear trail, though a misty halo could be seen on one edge. It made no sound and was watched for about 60 seconds. A second witness saw a similar object about an hour later moving west.

An investigation found clear skies, good visibility, and no weather balloons aloft. Two aircraft, an F-82 fighter and a C-45, were flying about 14 miles south of the witnesses. No unusual sightings were reported by the local radar station.