Sighting Report — Onida, South Dakota, 5 August 1953

This document consists of a military sighting report regarding an unidentified aerial phenomenon observed over Onida, South Dakota, on August 5, 1953. The report was filed by the Lowry Flight Service Center and directed to the Director of Intelligence at USAF Headquarters, with copies sent to the Air Technical Intelligence Center (ATIC) at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base. The primary witness was Major M.W. Lewis, an officer stationed at Elsworth Air Force Base in Rapid City, South Dakota, who was on leave in Onida at the time of the incident. According to the report, Major Lewis observed a single object that appeared similar to a star or the wing light of an aircraft. The object hovered momentarily before performing several maneuvers in various directions at high speed. It initially disappeared, then reappeared from the north, flew over the town, and finally disappeared toward the southeast. The weather conditions at the time were described as overcast with light drizzle. The report explicitly notes that the object's abrupt changes in course and speed made it impossible for the phenomenon to be a jet or any other conventional type of aircraft. Despite the witness's military background, the official conclusion reached by the evaluating agency was that there was insufficient data for a formal evaluation. The report notes that further information could not be obtained because the observer changed stations. The document includes standard military routing information and internal control markings, such as the FTD 0-329 form designation.