Air Intelligence Information Report: FLYOBRPT - Key West, Florida

This document is an Air Intelligence Information Report (TAC IR-23-53) dated 6 August 1953, concerning two sightings of an unidentified aerial object by Seaman Apprentice Charles B. De Forrest, a student at the Fleet Sonar School in Key West, Florida. The first sighting occurred on 24 July 1953 between 2200 and 2230 EST, and the second on 1 August 1953 at 2135 EST. The observer described the object as a very bright white, pinpoint-sized light that moved rapidly from the western skyline to a position overhead before disappearing. The observer noted that the object appeared to move in regular, smooth circles and did not exhibit any aerodynamic features, trails, or sound. The report includes detailed meteorological data for both dates, noting broken to heavy overcast conditions. The investigation, conducted by the 456th Troop Carrier Wing, included interviews with the observer, who was characterized as a quiet, conscientious, and stable student. The intelligence officer noted that the observer was skeptical of his own sighting and checked it against known data. The official conclusion reached by the intelligence office was that the object was 'probably searchlight on aircraft,' noting that several aircraft were in the area equipped with searchlights. The document also includes a letter from J. Allen Hynek dated 23 November 1953, in which he discusses the Key West sightings alongside other cases, such as the Black Hawk, South Dakota incident, noting that the Key West sightings were similar and lacked a definitive explanation at the time of his writing, though the intelligence report itself had already reached a conclusion. The file contains various administrative forms, including a Joint Messageform and correspondence regarding the transmittal of the report to higher headquarters.