Incident Report: Sighting of Unidentified Aerial Objects, Tucson, Arizona, 15 April 1953

On the night of 15 April 1953, a staff sergeant stationed at Davis-Monthan Air Force Base in Tucson, Arizona, reported observing four separate unidentified aerial objects. The witness, who served as a radar observer and plotter, was lying on a blanket in his yard with his wife when he first noticed the lights. The sightings occurred between 2145 and 2210 hours. The objects were described as bright, reddish-orange lights that traveled at extremely high speeds from the north to the south before making sharp, 'impossible' turns toward the northwest. One object was described as a blinking blue light. The witness estimated the speed of the objects to be in excess of 1500 miles per hour and noted that they appeared to be at an extremely high altitude. He reported that the objects did not exhibit any aerodynamic features, trails, or propulsion systems, and made no sound. The witness attempted to photograph the objects using a box camera, but the resulting negatives were blank, which he attributed to the speed of the objects and the short exposure times. The report notes that the witness was a career airman with seven years of service and was considered to have sound and reliable judgment. Official investigation by the 36th Air Division and the 303d Bombardment Wing concluded that there was no known meteorological activity that could have caused the phenomena and that no positive identification could be made. The only other aerial activity in the area at the time was a C-46 aircraft departing for California, which did not match the behavior of the observed objects.