Incident Reports #30, #30a, #30b, #30c, #48, #48a, #48b, #48c, #48d — Columbus and Wilmington, Ohio, 7 January 1948

This document is a compilation of incident reports and official correspondence regarding a series of sightings of an unidentified aerial phenomenon on the evening of 7 January 1948, in the vicinity of Columbus and Wilmington, Ohio. Multiple witnesses, including military personnel at Lockbourne Army Air Base and Clinton County Army Air Field, reported observing a bright, glowing object in the sky. Descriptions of the object varied, with witnesses reporting colors ranging from white and amber to red and green, and shapes described as a cone, a triangle, or a bright star-like light. Many observers noted that the object appeared to hover, perform rapid ascents and descents, and move in a westerly or southwesterly direction. Several witnesses, including experienced tower operators and pilots, initially suspected the object might be an aircraft in distress or a flare, but were unable to identify it as any known aircraft or celestial body. The reports include detailed statements from individuals such as Capt. Charles E. McGee, Cpl. James H. Hudson, and S/Sgt. John P. Haag, who provided accounts of their observations through field glasses. Despite the observers' insistence that the object was not a star or planet, official evaluations within the Project SIGN framework concluded that the sightings were likely attributable to the planet Venus. The document also includes internal correspondence from the Air Materiel Command regarding the collection and investigation of these reports, as well as public information releases clarifying that the sightings were not related to a comet reported around the same time. The reports highlight the confusion and intense interest generated by the sightings, with multiple military units and civilian observers attempting to track and identify the phenomenon. The documentation reflects the systematic, albeit skeptical, approach taken by the Air Force during the early stages of Project SIGN to categorize and explain these reports, often by dismissing them as astronomical phenomena or weather-related events.