AIR INTELLIGENCE INFORMATION REPORT: Information on Unconventional Aircraft

This document is an Air Intelligence Information Report (IR-63-51E) dated December 11, 1951, issued by the 30th Air Division (Defense) at Selfridge AFB, Michigan. It details a sighting of an unconventional aircraft on November 26, 1951, by two Capitol Airlines pilots. The primary witness, a captain flying a DC-3 at 5,000 feet, observed a 'ball of fire' approximately 25 miles east of Milwaukee, Wisconsin, at 1025Z. The object was described as orange with a long, tapered tail and a blue exhaust-like light. It was observed for approximately 35 seconds, traveling at an estimated speed of 2,000 miles per hour on an eastward course. A second Capitol Airlines pilot, flying 75 miles to the south, also reported seeing a blue-colored exhaust, though he did not recall the orange object. The report notes that the University of Michigan Observatory had no observations due to cloudiness, and the 30th Division Radar station reported no electronic contact. Military records indicated no known jet aircraft activity in the area at the time. The report includes correspondence regarding the desire of Lt. Edward J. Ruppelt of the Air Technical Intelligence Center to interview the pilots involved. The document concludes that the two sightings likely refer to the same object based on the consistency of the descriptions and flight path. The pilots are characterized as experienced and stable individuals.