Incident #161 Sighting Report — McKeesport, Pennsylvania, July 1948

This document details Incident #161, a reported sighting of an unidentified aerial object in McKeesport, Pennsylvania, occurring on or around July 8, 1948. The report includes a standard ATIC (Air Technical Intelligence Center) form and a clipping from The Daily News of McKeesport. According to the report, two women, identified in the press clipping as Mrs. Neil Veway and Mrs. Elizabeth Goltz, observed a 'big, silver plate' zooming noiselessly overhead in the direction of Kennywood Park. The witnesses estimated the object to be 12 to 15 inches in diameter. The object reportedly disappeared into a cloud bank, reappeared on the far side, and was followed by the witnesses until it was out of sight. The official evaluation of the incident by ATIC personnel was dismissive. The report characterizes the witnesses as 'untrained, uncritical, and excitable,' stating that their testimony could be given little weight. The official conclusion reached by the investigators was that there was nothing astronomical about the event and that the women most likely observed an ordinary aircraft with sunlight reflecting off the fuselage but not the wings. The document serves as an example of the early investigative process for UAP reports, where civilian sightings were often quickly categorized as misidentifications of conventional objects based on the perceived reliability of the observers.