Port Lyantey, French Morocco, August 1952August 1952

On the night of August 6 and 7, 1952, military personnel in Port Lyautey, French Morocco, reported seeing an unusual bright object moving at extreme speed. A ground observer first spotted a brilliant white light, and later that evening, a Navy transport aircraft encountered the same object while on a training flight.

The pilots of the aircraft, including Lieutenant D. M. Dobbs and Lieutenant W. S. Foster, observed what they described as a bright, disc-shaped object with two blinking red lights. The object appeared to hover briefly, then accelerated at what seemed like tremendous speed. The pilots estimated it climbed from around 4,500 feet to approximately 15,000 feet in seconds. The tower at Port Lyautey confirmed the sighting and tracked the object as it moved across the sky. According to calculations in the report, the object's speed would have exceeded 4,200 miles per hour.

The object's appearance puzzled observers. It was much brighter than any aircraft light the pilots had seen, including jet aircraft. The light was described as whiter and more intense than white phosphorus. One pilot noted he could see no aircraft structure, only the glowing center with the two red blinking lights on what he thought might be wingtips. The object seemed to turn sharply and change direction in ways that would be difficult for a conventional aircraft.

Weather conditions in the area were clear, with excellent visibility. The Navy investigation found no evidence that the object was another aircraft, a helicopter, a balloon, or a light reflection off weather conditions. The investigators noted that similar reports had appeared in local French newspapers. While ruling out conventional explanations, the report concludes that no firm determination could be made regarding the identity or significance of the object. The full case file is reproduced below as held by the National Archives, comprising 21 pages.