San Antonio, TexasMay 1952

On the evening of May 29, 1952, a military pilot standing on his front porch in San Antonio, Texas, spotted an unusual object in the sky. The pilot was with his wife and a civilian salesman. What they saw appeared to be a small, intensely bright object, either flat or tubular in shape, positioned horizontally at first.

For about fourteen minutes, the object moved in ways the pilot found remarkable. It traveled slowly from left to right, giving the impression it was either very high up or moving very slowly. Then it rotated until it stood straight up vertically. It held that upright position for eight minutes, then tilted back toward the horizontal. After a few seconds of descent, it began rising at a steep angle, at one point exceeding 45 degrees from the horizon. During this final acceleration, the bright silvery glow changed to a mild red or orange color before it disappeared from view entirely.

The pilot described the object as resembling a flame trail rather than a solid device. He estimated the entire sighting lasted from 1900 to 1914 hours (7:00 p.m. to 7:14 p.m.) Central Standard Time. Weather conditions at the time included high, thin scattered cirrus clouds, fifteen-mile visibility, and a temperature of 82 degrees Fahrenheit. The Air Force investigation found no physical evidence, conducted no radar identification, and could not confirm what other aircraft, if any, may have been in the area at the time.

The Air Force concluded the object remained unidentified. An internal comment noted the report was a good one and very similar to a sighting reported from Alaska. The complete case file, as held by the National Archives, is reproduced below in its 8 pages.