Richmond, Va., February 1953February 1953

Insufficient Data

Summary

On February 10, 1953, in the early morning, several civilian guards reported objects over the Richmond Quartermaster Depot in Richmond, Virginia. The sightings happened at varying times around 6:00 to 8:12 a.m. The case was investigated by the Air Force Office of Special Investigations.

The guards described two circular objects, roughly 20 feet in diameter, that appeared luminous and were colored orange in the center. Witnesses said the objects flew at low altitude, hovered, and moved at a slow speed before darting away rapidly. One guard described them as dancing like puppets on a string. No sounds were heard.

The accounts varied widely in details such as color, size, and altitude. Some guards estimated the objects at 20 to 25 feet across, while another said about 56 inches. Weather at 8:30 a.m. was clear with 12 miles visibility. A weather balloon had been released that morning.

Because the versions differed, investigators viewed the witnesses as not very reliable observers. The record card lists the conclusion as searchlight, evaluated as a possible searchlight reflection.

Reported location

Richmond, Va., February 1953

Date of incident

February 1953

State / country

? / XX

Page count

6 scanned pages

USAF evaluation

unknown

Microfilm

T1206, Roll 17

Original case file scans

Original case file · scanned by NARAPage 1 of 6

View transcribed text

1. CATE - TIME GROUP 2. LOCATION .
' 10 Feb 53 10/11152 Richmond, Va.
! 3. SOURCE 10. CONCLUSION 4
| Civ (6 persons) 3ZARCHLIGHT
4. NUMBER OF OBJECTS
] vo :
S. LENGTH OF OBSERVATION 17. BRIEF SUMMARY AND ANALYSIS
i 5 dn Circular in shspe. 20" in diam wind aared luninous,
; vn lorea oran:z in tie canter 4 + ) 1 ’ i al eiz=s. ‘slow
$. TYPE OF OBSERVATION pri BE | CPR Peer Bega ey: he, :
q 3 Dis 'S NNIOVeIred yay & Aa i E wer J 100 <eSa
L. | ” .
7. COURSE RR SRD ST eR : BA SR
390 ant, versions of the sizating, Ltaus ch as color, 2d,
: 3. PHOTOS Ll ays mance varizd widely. Therefore 5 Zs he oulin Loa of
Proj. Bluebook that the withesses were not vary reliable as
3 aT Yee sgrvers., .owever, tnis revort has :n cvaluated 43 poss,
3 J Neo searchlight reflection,
4 9. PHYSICAL EVIDENCE
4 0 Yes
3 x Ne
i FORM
FTD sep 63 0-329 (TDE) previous editions of this form may be used,
: .
| s

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Source: National Archives Catalog · NAID 28953287