Sighting Incident Report — Marysville, California, December 28, 1953

This document is a formal sighting report concerning an unidentified aerial phenomenon observed on December 28, 1953, in Marysville, California. The report, filed on a standard FTD form, details a one-and-a-half-minute observation by a civilian witness. The witness described the object as saucer-shaped, approximately the size of a baseball, and emitting a brilliant bluish light that did not radiate. The object was observed hovering over an airport, moving north, and eventually fading into the night. The witness reported seeing the object's light reflected on a nearby filling station building. The estimated speed of the object was between 140 and 190 mph, and it was observed at an altitude of 300 feet before dropping to 100-150 feet. The official conclusion stated that a jet with an afterburner was ruled out as a potential explanation because the observer was too close to the object to have failed to hear the sound, and the proximity likely caused an illusion of hovering. The document includes extensive supporting meteorological data, including surface weather observations and adiabatic charts from various California locations such as Blue Canyon, Mather AFB, and Oakland Airport, provided by the U.S. Department of Commerce Weather Bureau. These records were requested in 1968 to support the investigation. The report also contains a handwritten note indicating it was a 'Copy for Hynek,' likely referring to Dr. J. Allen Hynek, the scientific advisor to Project Blue Book. The file also includes a page from a later correspondence dated June 4, 1968, from Lt. Col. Hector Quintanilla, which discusses various sighting cases, including a mention of the December 28, 1953, incident, noting that it should be carried as 'unidentified' due to the single witness.