Unusual type aircraft seen over Long Island, March 17, 1950

On March 17, 1950, at approximately 0930 EST, a female civilian driving from Northport to New York City observed an unusual aerial object between the towns of East Norwich and Roslyn, Long Island. The witness initially noticed a smoke or vapor trail at an extremely high altitude, which she first mistook for sky-writing. As she watched, the object dropped away from the trail and began a slow descent. At this stage, the object appeared to be the size and shape of a tennis ball. The witness stopped her vehicle to observe the craft more closely as it moved from a northerly to a southerly direction. As the object approached, its appearance became more distinct, and the witness described it as two plates placed face to face. She noted that the length of the object appeared slightly wider than its width. After this period of descent, the craft changed direction and proceeded due west, disappearing from sight without any further significant change in altitude. The total duration of the observation was approximately ten minutes, and the minimum altitude was estimated to be several thousand feet. The witness, who stated that her husband is an aeronautical engineer, asserted that she had been exposed to aircraft identification and was convinced the object was not a conventional jet, propeller-driven aircraft, balloon, or parachute. She further noted that she had not reported the incident to any news agencies or local newspapers, choosing instead to forward the description directly to the authorities at Project Saucer at Wright-Patterson Field.