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This Project Blue Book case file, digitized by the Internet Archive, covers Incident 144: two Eastern Airlines pilots reported that a wingless, cigar-shaped object with a flaming exhaust passed their DC-3 about 20 miles southwest of Montgomery, Alabama, on 24 July 1948. The file includes an OSI interview with a Robins Air Force Base employee who saw a similar object, negative aircraft traffic reports from many bases, and later correspondence. A December 1948 intelligence report found fairly consistent descriptions across four related sightings.
“Headquarters”21 pages
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## (2) Incident 2 Object #2 was observed by and at 0230 hours 24 July 1948, while airborne, between Blackstone, Virginia, and Greensboro, North Carolina. This sighting is considered separately since the descriptions of speed as "meteoric" or "terrific", the manner of travel described as an arc or horizontal, and the fact that it "faded like a meteor" seem to indicate that the object seen was not the one observed in Incident 1. ## (3) incident #3 This object was observed between 2100 and 2300 hours 20th July 1948 at Chamblee, and Augusta, Georgia, by observers Mrs. and This object was not thought to be a meteor in that it maneuvered. The glow was described as varied in color but predominantly brilliant blue-white. The course was described as generally "southern". Although the dates seem to indicate that this sighting could not be the same as that described in incident 1, yet the major portion of this testimony refers to a "blue white light". Observations in the first instance describe a "blue glow" running the entire length of the fuselage. When viewed from the ground it is logical to assume that the blue glow would be mostly visible. NOTE: In this connection, Dr. Josef Allan Hynek, astro-physicist, OSURF, who is presently to serve as consultant on this project, has advised that it is possible for a celestial body to appear to travel in a straight line and slant downwards. (It is extremely improbable, although aerodynamically possible, for some objects to achieve an effect of lift through the forces generated during their flight through the atmosphere). It is his further opinion that it is impossible for any celestial body to maneuver violently and make sharp turns. It is extremely unlikely for heavenly bodies to appear to move slowly when passing through the lower layers of the atmosphere, but, from greater distances, it is possible to observe far-distant bodies for extended periods of time. Objective size is contingent upon (1) distance of the heavenly body from the earth and (2) its mass. The manner of displacement of a meteor is like a light suddenly blinking off.
Document, cited by the archive. The PDF is mirrored here; the original link is above. The text was read from the page images by GLM-OCR; expect the odd misread word. 161 pages are in the text index: search them above, or from the library's search.