Sacramento, CaliforniaJune 1953

On the evening of June 30, 1953, three control tower operators at Mather Air Force Base near Sacramento saw a red light in the sky west of their station. The light appeared to be about eight to ten miles away and at an altitude of roughly 10,000 feet. The operators were TSGT Rudolph D. Hesko, A/2C Ronald W. Hill, and A/2C Arthur I. Gray Jr. They watched it through field glasses but could make out only a red glow, roughly three feet in diameter, with no other identifying features.

At first, the operators thought the light might be attached to an aircraft. But it remained completely stationary for about fifteen minutes, which ruled out any normal plane. Other control towers in the area, including Sacramento Tower and McClellan Tower, also reported seeing the same object. Two B-50 aircraft from Mather were in the vicinity and were asked to investigate, but both pilots reported seeing nothing unusual.

The weather that night was clear, with visibility over fifteen miles and only a light five-knot wind. The base weather station confirmed there were no weather balloons in the area at the time. The red light disappeared at approximately 2144 hours (9:44 p.m.) while the operators' heads were turned, so they did not observe how it vanished.

The Air Force's initial conclusion, stated on the cover sheet, attributed the sighting to astronomical objects including Venus, Mars, Jupiter, and the star Regulus. However, the detailed investigation by officers at Mather found no conventional explanation for what the operators saw, and the case was officially marked unidentified. The full case file, eight pages as held by the National Archives, is reproduced below.