Report of unidentified Airborne object

This document details a sighting of an unidentified aerial object on the night of August 19, 1949, near Cincinnati, Ohio. The primary witness, Sergeant Donald R. Berger, was operating a standard Army General Electric antiaircraft searchlight for publicity purposes on behalf of a local group. Between the hours of 2000 and 2300, Sgt. Berger observed an object in the sky that appeared unusual and could not be readily identified. According to the report, the object appeared to change color from a phosphorescent hue to a bluish color when held within the searchlight beam. When the beam was removed, the object remained visible with what was described as a luminous appearance. The object was located north but slightly east of Cincinnati, at an elevation of 1585 mils, appearing to be approximately directly overhead. Based on atmospheric conditions and the range of the light, the object was estimated to be at an altitude of four to five miles. It remained stationary for the entire three-and-a-half-hour duration of the observation. The phenomenon was reportedly witnessed by several hundred people in the city, some of whom contacted Sgt. Berger during his operation of the searchlight. A notice regarding the incident appeared in at least one local daily newspaper, though it was not released by military personnel. The report was formally submitted by Lt. Col. Fred Dixon of the Department of Military Science and Tactics at the University of Cincinnati to the Commanding General of the Ninth Air Force at Langley Air Force Base. The document was subsequently forwarded by the Ninth Air Force to the Air Materiel Command at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base. The official conclusion recorded in the Project 10073 record for this incident is 'INSUFFICIEINT DATA'.