SAN ANTONIO, TEXAS, [ILLEGIBLE] 1952 - Incident Number: [ILLEGIBLE]Circa 1952

At 0052 hours Central Standard Time on July 28, 1952, an unidentified white light was spotted near San Antonio, Texas. The observation came from multiple sources: an unknown B-29 pilot who reported it to Randolph Air Force Base tower, Airman First Class LeRoy D. Pratt working in the control tower at Randolph, and the crew of a C-97 transport aircraft that happened to be taking off from Kelly Air Force Base. The object appeared as a brilliant white light with a bluish cast around its edges. Tower observers described it as elongated in shape, roughly one-quarter inch across to the naked eye. It seemed to emit faint vapor trails and gave the impression of rapid ascent when approached.

The C-97 crew, piloted by Captain Samuel W. Tyson with co-pilot Captain Donald E. Knebuscn and navigator Captain Clarence H. Williams, all from the 1256th Air Transport Squadron at Kelly AFB, volunteered to intercept the object. As they pursued it and climbed to 18,500 feet, the light disappeared from their direct sight. Ground-based radar at an aircraft control and warning station reportedly tracked a target in the same general direction. At one point, when the C-97 came within seven miles of the target, the radar blip grew fuzzy and vanished. A subsequent radar return in roughly the same location was identified as a DC-6 aircraft.

Once the immediate pursuit ended, the C-97 crew and ground controllers reviewed their observations. The navigator checked his aviation charts and the crew concluded that what they had been chasing was the planet Jupiter. Pratt and other observers came to the same conclusion after checking reference materials. The investigators determined that Jupiter's unusual brightness near the horizon, its elongated appearance in the early morning, and optical effects from scattered clouds could account for the light's peculiar characteristics and apparent movement. A temperature inversion recorded in the area between 2,000 and 3,200 feet may also have contributed to optical distortion effects. No physical evidence or photographs were obtained. The Air Force's evaluation of this case is listed as unknown. The full case file is reproduced below as held by the National Archives across 18 pages.