Scott AFB, Ill., June 1948June 1948

On June 20, 1948, an incident occurred in Belleville, Illinois near Scott Air Force Base. An unidentified object was sighted. The Air Force investigation concluded that the incident likely had an astronomical explanation. The investigators noted that the object could not have been a fireball based on available evidence. The zig-zag motion and relatively slow speed did not match descriptions of a large meteor. Lack of flare and train also ruled out meteor hypothesis. The object's description closely matched that of a lighted balloon moving relatively close by.