Project Blue Book Case File
Springfield, OhioSeptember 1953
Summary
On September 26, 1953, a resident of Springfield, Ohio, reported watching an unusual object in the sky. The observer was watching a fishing game when they noticed the phenomenon and drew the Air Force's attention to it.
According to the witness questionnaire, the object resembled a funnel or tornado-like shape. The observer described it as changing color and drifting across the sky, moving from west to east. The object appeared fairly bright against the background sky. The witness reported the object moved out of view to the west, though the OCR text in places is difficult to read with certainty.
The file indicates the observer saw the object during daylight or twilight conditions and was able to provide directional bearings and elevation estimates. The witness also drew sketches attempting to show the shape and motion of the object.
The Air Force's evaluation, listed on the cover sheet, is marked as "unknown." However, the final page of the file contains a lengthy discussion of meteor observations from the American Meteoritics Society, documenting various fireball sightings from 1950 through 1954, including several from September 1953. The relevance of this material to the Springfield sighting is unclear from the OCR text.
This case file, as held by the National Archives, consists of 11 pages of scanned records from microfilm T1206, Roll 19.
Reported location
Springfield, Ohio
Date of incident
September 1953
State / country
OH / US
Page count
11 scanned pages
USAF evaluation
unknown
Microfilm
T1206, Roll 19