POPE AFB, S.C., December 1952December 1952

On December 9, 1952, radar operators at Pope Air Force Base in South Carolina detected an unidentified object on their radar scope. The object appeared as a stationary target with a slight circular motion that did not disappear when the radar's moving target indicator was activated, a setting that normally filters out stationary returns. The radar station tracked the object from approximately 2:20 p.m. to 10:15 p.m. The object was located at varying altitudes between 4,400 and 8,700 feet, about 4.5 miles from the station. Weather conditions that day were fair, with altocumulus clouds present and no temperature inversions initially detected.

During the observation, an F-51 fighter aircraft was directed to the location to investigate. The pilot flew through the area but reported seeing nothing unusual. Eight other transient aircraft also passed through the radar coverage zone during the sighting. The radar operators involved had several years of experience on the equipment.

The Air Force's investigation found limited explanations for what the operators had detected. Photographs of the radar scope were supposed to be taken but do not appear to have been received by the Air Technical Intelligence Center for analysis. Investigators noted that local cloud formations could possibly have created a spurious radar return, meaning a false signal caused by unusual atmospheric conditions. One radar officer suggested the target might have been a permanent echo, a radar reflection from a stationary ground object that had shifted location due to temperature inversions affecting the radar beam.

The Air Force concluded the incident was "possibly weather phenomena." The full case file, comprising 12 pages as held by the National Archives, is reproduced below.