Tacoma, WashingtonAugust 1958

On the night of August 1, 1958, residents and military personnel near Tacoma, Washington reported seeing a bright, unusual object moving through the sky. Witnesses described the object as white in color with an ice-cream cone shape visible on its underside. The sighting lasted approximately 45 minutes, and observers reported conflicting accounts of the object's direction of travel, with some saying it moved north to south and others saying west to east.

The reports came from several sources. Civilians in Tacoma reported the sighting to the Air Force. A U.S. Coast Guard official stationed at Browns Point lighthouse also observed the object. Radar operators at military installations in the area recorded possible returns, though radar detection did not begin until after the sighting had been called to their attention. When radar operators checked their equipment after being notified, they reported altitudes ranging from 6,000 feet to 50,000 feet, with the object appearing to move in various directions at those different altitudes.

Air Force intelligence at the Air Technical Intelligence Center (ATIC) took the reports seriously enough to request detailed balloon tracking information from the 1110th Balloon Activities Group. The Air Force considered the ice-cream cone shape described by witnesses to be consistent with a large upper-atmosphere balloon, possibly one released from Japan or from Viekallis Naval Air Station. However, when the 1110th Balloon Activities Group checked their records, they reported no balloon or related activities in the Tacoma area on August 1, 1958.

In their summary, Air Force investigators noted the object had characteristics consistent with a balloon but stated they could not draw a firm conclusion given the conflicting and inconsistent data from witnesses. The official evaluation listed the case as "unknown." The full case file, comprising seven pages as reproduced below, is held by the National Archives.