Spooner, WisconsinMarch 1953

On March 29, 1953, four people installing an antenna near Spooner, Wisconsin spotted an unusual object in the sky. At 2:14 p.m. local time, they saw a circular disc the color of aluminum, about half the size of the moon, flying at a very high altitude.

The object moved rapidly across the sky from south to north. Then it stopped, turned around, and headed south. After that, it changed direction once more and was last seen heading north again. The entire sighting lasted roughly fifteen seconds. The object's shape and size never changed throughout the observation.

The four witnesses had no prior experience identifying aircraft. However, one of them reported that he had seen a similar object over Spooner back in 1938. The weather that day was clear to partly cloudy, with thin cirrus clouds visible but blue sky showing through. Wind conditions at various altitudes were documented by the Air Force.

The case was investigated and sent to the Air Technical Intelligence Center at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base. A senior Air Force analyst at Ohio State University's observatory reviewed the report in May 1953 and noted that the fifteen-second duration was difficult to reconcile with the number of maneuvers the object allegedly performed. He found the case interesting enough to warrant further inquiry, though he expressed skepticism about whether all those changes in direction could truly have occurred in such a short time.

The Air Force evaluated this sighting as unidentified. The complete case file, as held by the National Archives, is reproduced below across 16 pages.