Smyrna, GeorgiaJuly 1956

On the evening of July 31, 1956, a man and his friend were sitting in a yard in Smyrna, Georgia, watching the stars when they spotted a bright white light moving rapidly across the sky. The object was roughly twice the size of the North Star, round in shape, and traveled from an elevation of about 15 degrees in the north to the horizon in the south over the course of approximately 60 seconds.

The main witness said the object resembled an automobile headlight viewed from a great distance. As it passed overhead, it was to the east of his location and reached an elevation of about 60 degrees. Throughout the sighting, the object maintained steady white color and constant speed. It did not pulse, change shape, produce smoke, or break apart. The witness noted there were many stars visible that night, no clouds, no wind, and no aircraft that he could see.

The Air Force investigator who processed the case spoke with both witnesses and found them credible. A check was made with Dobbins Air Force Base nearby to rule out the base's beacon lights. Radar operators from another facility in the area reported they were busy tracking aircraft but had no records of radar tracks in the sighting zone. The weather service confirmed the night was clear with slight haze, which could have made lights appear fuzzy. The investigator also noted that the sighting location was surrounded by trees and houses that would have blocked the true horizon from view.

In his final report, the Air Force officer in charge concluded the sighting was probably caused by a low flying aircraft. He based this on his own observations of similar aircraft movements in the area and noted that the witness may have overestimated the object's angle above the horizon and underestimated the time of the sighting. The complete case file, held by the National Archives, comprises 10 pages.