Observation of an Unidentified Flying Object — 3 April 1953

This Air Intelligence Information Report, dated 4 April 1953, details a visual observation of an unidentified flying object made on 3 April 1953 by a B-26 crew from the 3d Bombardment Wing (L) over Northwest Korea. The report includes accounts from Lt. Colonel John M. Dillon, 1/Lt Myrle S. Perry, 2/Lt Frederick J. Vermillion, and A/2C William R. Caruthers. The witnesses, who were flying a night armed reconnaissance mission at 5,000 feet, observed a bluish-green object that appeared to be roughly the size of an F-84 tail pipe. The object was seen traveling at a high rate of speed in a slight downward path. According to the reports, the object changed color from bluish-green to white, then to red, and left a trail of sparks before disappearing. Estimates of the duration of the sighting varied among the crew members, ranging from three to ten seconds. The intelligence officer, Captain Kermit W. Fish, noted that the crew members were experienced and reliable. The official conclusion of the Fifth Air Force Directorate of Intelligence was that the object was likely an unusually large meteor. The report suggests that the observed color changes and the trail of sparks were consistent with a meteor burning in the atmosphere, and that the perceived characteristics could have been influenced by atmospheric refraction or the effect of cockpit and navigation lights on the observers' eyes. The report explicitly states there was no evidence that the object was controlled or that it was anything other than a meteor.