Incident #245 Sighting Report — Godman Air Force Base, February 1949

This document comprises a collection of reports and correspondence regarding an unidentified flying object sighting at Godman Air Force Base, Fort Knox, Kentucky, on the night of February 7, 1949. The incident involved four military personnel: Sergeant Donald E. Ledbetter, Corporal Richard G. Dumphy, Private First Class Richard E. Peterman, and Corporal Charles L. Rogers. According to the statements, the object was first sighted at 0150 CST by Sergeant Ledbetter, who observed a bright object in the southwest sky that appeared significantly brighter than a star. The witnesses reported that the object was circular, changed colors between red, green, and yellow, and appeared to be rotating. The object was observed for approximately 20 minutes, during which time it remained in the southwest, appearing to travel in a straight line away from the observers before disappearing suddenly at 0210 CST with a series of flashes. The witnesses used binoculars to observe the object and a theodolite to determine its position, recording a horizontal angle of 242.5 degrees and a vertical angle of 03.6 degrees. The weather conditions were reported as clear with approximately 10 miles of visibility. Following the incident, the Base Intelligence Officer conducted interviews and collected signed statements from all witnesses. The official conclusion reached by the Base Intelligence Officer was that the object was the star Sirius. The report explains that Sirius, being a bright star, can appear to change colors when viewed at a low altitude of less than 10 degrees above the horizon, and that the use of binoculars would further increase this color effect. The document includes the formal report, the individual statements of the four witnesses, and subsequent correspondence between the 2236th Air Force Reserve Training Center and the Air Materiel Command at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, confirming the investigation and the findings.