Richmond, IndianaMay 1954

On May 24, 1954, an Air Force major flying a B-17 photographic mapping aircraft near Richmond, Indiana spotted a brilliant white light moving below him. The pilot managed to photograph the object in the moments before it vanished over the residential area of southwest Richmond. The observation lasted forty-five seconds. During that time, the light traveled six miles across the ground at a speed twice that of the aircraft.

The investigation was thorough. Military officials checked aircraft activity and radar plots in the area, all with no results. The ground beneath the flight path was examined and re-photographed to study ground characteristics. The photographs themselves underwent intensive analysis. The studies concluded that the light was not a material object.

A panel of scientists and specialists, including astronomers, meteorologists, and a physicist, reviewed the evidence. They concluded that the sighting was a very rare aerial phenomenon caused by reflection of the sun's rays from ice crystal formations. One scientist's detailed analysis, submitted with the file, described how sunlight reflecting off fine ice crystals in the upper atmosphere can create an intense spot of light that moves with the observer's aircraft and matches the sun's angle of reflection. The brightness and apparent motion would match what the pilot saw.

The Air Force classified this case as unidentified in its initial assessment, but the scientific evidence pointed to a natural optical effect rather than anything extraordinary. The full case file is reproduced below as held by the National Archives, 37 pages.