Unidentified Flying Objects Report — Grand Island and North Platte, Nebraska, 28 January 1953

This document is an Air Intelligence Information Report regarding an unidentified flying object sighting on 28 January 1953. The report details an observation made by the crew of a C-47 aircraft (tail number 44-77250) flying at 8,000 feet near Surprise, Nebraska. The crew, consisting of Captain James W. Tressell, 1st Lt. Norman C. Dooley, 1st Lt. Charles M. Baker, and Cpl. Walter DeKuyper, observed a light that appeared to change colors from white to blue to red and back to white. The observation lasted approximately 23 minutes. The object was initially spotted 20 to 30 degrees above the horizon over Grand Island, Nebraska. The crew contacted ground stations at Grand Island, Lexington, and North Platte, all of which reported that the object was west of their respective locations. A commercial flight (Flight 609) and a B-47 aircraft (number 0211) were also contacted, but neither could visually confirm the object. The report includes detailed statements from the crew members, who describe the object as appearing circular and roughly the size of a dime held against the windshield. The crew noted that the object did not leave a trail or exhaust. The North Platte weather station reportedly took a theodolite reading of the object, confirming it appeared circular, though no specific data was provided. The official conclusion reached in the report is that the object was the planet Venus. The document includes a copy of the relevant aeronautical chart (World Aeronautical Chart 307) used for navigation during the flight and subsequent reporting.