Pittsburg, PennsylvaniaJuly 1949

On the evening of July 3, 1949, at about 10:20 to 10:30 p.m., a Pittsburgh resident saw what he described as a strange aircraft traveling across the sky. The object appeared about five miles away, positioned at an angle of 40 to 45 degrees above the horizon and possibly about two miles high. The witness estimated the craft was roughly 500 feet long and 50 feet tall.

The object had three or four large round windows that emitted a very bright light. It trailed a cherry-red tail of fire approximately 100 feet long. The craft traveled from south to north at what the witness called "a great rate of speed," crossing from the haze on the southern horizon to the haze on the northern horizon in about 10 to 15 seconds. The outline of the object appeared very faint to the observer.

The witness was confident enough in what he saw to write directly to the U.S. Air Force's Technical Intelligence Division at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base in Dayton, Ohio. He mentioned that he had also contacted Dr. Draper of the Buhl Planetarium in Pittsburgh, who had no reports of such a craft. The witness was careful to note that he did not believe the object was a flying saucer, but stated that based on its speed and shape, "it is not based on this clay marble which we call earth." He emphasized that his account was "an honest and truthful statement" and that while he did not seek publicity, he welcomed correspondence about the sighting.

The Air Force evaluated this case as a meteor. The full case file, consisting of 7 pages as held by the National Archives, is reproduced below.