RAPID CITY AFB S D, [ILLEGIBLE] 1952 - Incident Number: [ILLEGIBLE]Circa 1952

On the evening of July 13, 1952, two airmen at Lockbourne Air Force Base in Columbus, Ohio saw an unusual object moving rapidly across the sky. Technical Sergeant Thurman C. Mahone and Airman Second Class Gene A. Jennings were on duty when they spotted the craft traveling from west to east at an extremely high speed.

The object was elliptical in shape, roughly two to three times larger than a bright star, and glowed amber in color. What made it particularly distinctive was the flame behavior at its rear. A steady point of bright light burned there constantly, and about every three seconds, a burst of flame shot backward from that point. These flame bursts were roughly 150 percent longer than the object itself, lighter yellow inside with darker edges, and resembled the flame from a blowtorch or a gas stove burner turned up quickly without adequate oxygen. The observers counted approximately thirty separate bursts during the sighting.

The sound was equally unusual and difficult to describe. It was distinctly audible and somewhat resembled a jet engine, but lacked the characteristic whine. It also reminded one observer of a V-1 buzz bomb, though both men insisted it was unlike anything they had previously heard. Beneath the main sound was a low resonance that one observer likened to liquid pouring from a churn. Remarkably, the sound did not change in tone, volume, or speed in relation to the periodic flame bursts.

The object appeared at 30 degrees above the horizon, traveled in an exceedingly straight line nearly overhead, and disappeared after only one and a half minutes of observation, dropping to 25 degrees above the horizon. The observers estimated its altitude at a minimum of 20,000 feet and its speed at no less than 500 miles per hour. The local radar station reported no contacts on their scope during the time of the sighting. Both airmen were considered reliable and sincere observers. The Air Force evaluation of this case is not stated in the available file material. The full case file, consisting of 27 pages, is reproduced below as held by the National Archives.