Richmond, VirginiaJune 1962

On June 30, 1962, a resident of Richmond, Virginia saw a red and white circular object in the sky that descended slowly over about ten to twenty minutes. The object was completely silent, left no trail or exhaust, and moved at steady speed. The observer watched it with binoculars and noted no unusual details except two solid circles of red and white light.

The investigating officer from the 149th Tactical Fighter Squadron examined the sighting carefully. He checked the observer's background and found him to be a credible witness with no reputation for exaggeration. The officer measured the object's position using navigation tools and a compass, placing it at an initial elevation of roughly 20 degrees above the horizon, bearing about 169 degrees (toward the south-southeast). As it descended, the elevation dropped to about 13 degrees while the bearing shifted to about 132 degrees. By the time vision was blocked by trees, the object had moved in a straight line at constant speed.

Weather conditions created some uncertainty. The observer reported clear skies, but Richmond's weather station recorded substantial cloud cover at the time. However, the investigating officer noted that because the weather station was four nautical miles away and cloud conditions fluctuated, it was possible the observer's small area of sky was indeed clear even as clouds surrounded that location. After checking with NASA, the local weather bureau, and nearby military facilities including Byrd Field's control tower, the investigating officer found no conventional explanation. No weather balloons were released that evening. Aircraft approaching Byrd Field might have produced a similar path, but no aircraft matched the object's long duration. Parachute flares from nearby Camp Pickett were ruled out based on the camp's location and operating schedule.

A second sighting by a family member on July 1, 1962, proved far easier to resolve. That observer saw a steady light source for about ten minutes at 2300 EDT (11 p.m.) that came into view on a magnetic bearing of roughly 190 degrees and departed on a bearing of about 60 degrees. An initial check with NASA confirmed this sighting coincided with the passing of ECHO I, an artificial satellite.

The Air Force investigation found the June 30 sighting could not be resolved. No obvious discrepancies marred the observer's account except for the conflict between his report of clear skies and the weather station's cloud observations. After ruling out aircraft, balloons, flares, and satellites, the investigating officer could offer no identification.

The full case file is reproduced below as held by the National Archives, with 68 pages.