Saranac Lake, N.Y., March 1958March 1958

At 8:15 p.m. on March 27, 1958, a man driving near Saranac Lake, New York saw a very bright object descending steeply through the sky at low altitude, somewhere between 1,000 and 2,000 feet. The object was about the size of a nickel held at arm's length. The observer, a passenger in the car traveling on Route 86 about 1.5 miles north of downtown Saranac Lake, watched it move westward and disappear below the horizon. He said the angle of descent was so steep that the object must have landed or crashed. The sighting lasted only a few seconds, and the observer reported no unusual maneuvers or changes in direction.

The Air Force checked aircraft in the area at the time and found several commercial and military flights. None matched the sighting. Weather conditions were clear and visibility was good. The investigation also noted that residents in the nearby town of Malone reported hearing an explosion between 7:30 p.m. and 8:45 p.m. that night. A Civil Air Patrol pilot flew over the suggested route of the object the next day but found no signs of a crash.

The Air Force investigator concluded the object was most likely a meteor or meteorite. While the observer claimed the object was much lower than typical meteors and said he had seen shooting stars before, the officer believed the observer may have misjudged its altitude given the nighttime conditions and excellent visibility. The case file notes that no additional evidence of any kind was found after the initial report.

The full case file is reproduced below as held by the National Archives, consisting of 7 pages.