Report of Investigation: Unconventional Aircraft, Howard, Kansas

This document contains a series of reports from the 13th District Office of Special Investigation (OSI) regarding an unconventional aircraft sighting near Howard, Kansas, on January 6, 1950. The primary incident involved three experienced pilots—Captain Robert E. Zimmerman, Captain Frederick E. Howard, and 1st Lt Harold G. Simpson—who were flying in a C-47 aircraft from Carswell AFB, Texas, to Offutt AFB, Nebraska. At approximately 1410 CST, they observed an unidentified object described as football-shaped, 30 to 60 feet long, and bright silver with a red nose. The object was flying in straight, level flight at an altitude of 2,000 feet with an estimated speed of 300 to 500 miles per hour. The object remained in sight for less than two minutes before fading from view. The weather conditions were reported as CAVU (Clear and Visibility Unlimited). Following the report, the 13th OSI District initiated an investigation. Inquiries were made at the Olathe Naval Air Base in Kansas to determine if any military activity, such as weather balloons or flares, could account for the sighting. Lt. (JG) W. C. Kincannon, the weather officer at Olathe, confirmed that no such items had been released on that date and that visibility was 12 miles. The investigation concluded that all logical leads had been exhausted and the case was closed. The documents emphasize that the witnesses were experienced, alert, and not fatigued at the time of the observation. The reports are marked as Confidential and include standard administrative distribution to the Air Materiel Command at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base.