Project 10073 Record: Incident 417 - Columbus, Ohio

This document is a collection of Agent Reports from the 10073 CIC Detachment regarding a sighting of an unconventional aircraft over Columbus, Ohio, on July 31, 1949. Two primary witnesses were interviewed on August 1, 1949. The first witness, a motor oiler, reported seeing an oval-shaped, greyish-blue object at approximately 5,000 feet altitude. He claimed the object was five times the size of a U.S. Navy 'Constitution' aircraft and that it dropped two circular flares that resembled white-hot metal. He further described a sphere dropping from the object, which then rose and disappeared into the clouds. The second witness, a machinist, reported seeing two objects or lights that were round, brilliant, and similar to floodlights, traveling slowly in a southerly direction. Both witnesses were interviewed by the CIC, and the investigating officer noted that both individuals appeared highly imaginative and were potentially influenced by sensationalized press reports, specifically an article in the Ohio State Journal titled 'Space Ship Seen Over East Side.' The official conclusion reached by the military authorities was that the objects were aircraft. The document includes sketches of the object as described by the first witness and notes that the witnesses were eager to be questioned by government officials. The report was forwarded to the Director of Intelligence, General Staff, Department of the Army, and copied to the Air Materiel Command at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base.