Sheppard AFB, TexasJuly 1953

On the morning of July 9, 1953, at around 12:05 p.m., an airman stationed at Sheppard Air Force Base in Wichita Falls, Texas was standing on the hospital ramp during his lunch break when he heard noise from two B-25 aircraft flying westward. When he looked up, he saw a strange object appear high in the sky.

The object started out looking circular, about one and a half inches across to the naked eye. As it descended rapidly, it seemed to grow larger and change shape, becoming more elliptical and slightly cone-shaped at the top and bottom. The color was silvery-white with what looked like a phosphorescent glow, and it appeared to be made of metal. Most striking was that the object seemed to be spinning horizontally while also moving forward in a northwest to southeast direction. The object dropped fast, slowed down briefly at its lowest point, then suddenly climbed back up at high speed and disappeared over nearby buildings, all in about eight to ten seconds. No sound, smoke, or vapor trail came from it.

Two other airmen who were with the first witness confirmed seeing the object, though they only observed it for about five seconds. The pilots of the two B-25 aircraft in the area at the time stated they had not seen anything unusual. All three witnesses were permanent base personnel who had previously been skeptical of flying saucer reports. The weather that day was clear with good visibility. The Air Force interviewed the pilots and checked with neighboring military and civilian units but received no other reports of similar sightings or any indication that weather balloons had been launched in the area.

The Air Force's official evaluation of this case was unidentified, meaning they could not determine what the object was. The full case file is reproduced below as held by the National Archives, comprising 7 pages of documents.