Westover AFB, Mass, January 1951January 1951

On January 25, 1951, at 1824 hours (6:24 p.m.), a man at Warner Robins Air Force Base in Georgia reported seeing an unusual flying object with a bright light projecting upward from it. The object appeared oblong in shape, roughly 150 feet long, and dull black in color. The most striking feature was a steady blue-white to red light that seemed to come from the entire unit, not just one point. What impressed the witness most was that the light and the object moved in concert, with the light appearing to lead the object upward in a series of steps, almost like climbing stairs. The witness heard no noise, saw no smoke, and detected no odor.

Air Force investigators checked with the local weather station and learned that a weather balloon had been released from Warner Robins on January 20 at 1600 hours. The station officer doubted the balloon could still be aloft at the time of the sighting, noting that such balloons normally come down within an hour and a half. Investigators also contacted nearby airports and found several military and civilian aircraft in the area that evening, though none of their characteristics matched the description of what the witness saw.

The investigator's report noted that no explanation was offered for the sighting. Investigators made no definitive conclusion about what the object was. The full case file, including the witness's drawing, is reproduced below as held by the National Archives across 8 pages.