Declassified UFO / UAP Document
Unidentified Flying Object Report (UFOB) — Osan Air Base, South Korea, 14 September 1957
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AI-Generated Summary
A 1957 report from Osan Air Base details a 40-minute sighting of an erratic white light, which was officially identified as a weather balloon. The report notes that while no balloon was scheduled, local deviations in release times were common.
On 14 September 1957, at 1010Z, USAF officers at Osan Air Base in South Korea observed an unidentified flying object. The object was described as a white, pea-sized, star-shaped light that exhibited erratic movement, including hovering and rapid travel in a westerly direction. The sighting lasted for 40 minutes. The object was observed to have a tail only when in the zenith position. Weather conditions at the time were clear with unlimited visibility, and wind detectors indicated winds from the southeast. The investigation, led by Captain John K. Hrdina of the 314th Air Division, concluded that the object was a weather balloon. While official records did not show a weather balloon release scheduled for that specific time, the report notes that there is considerable local deviation from the established balloon release schedule. Furthermore, the reporting officer observed the same phenomenon on 3 October 1957, and previous incidents in 1954 had been similarly attributed to weather balloons. The report references previous intelligence reports (BEI-49-55-10B-2-1 and 2-2) regarding similar incidents. The document is classified as unclassified and was distributed to CINCPAF and the 5th Air Force.
All indications are that the object was a balloon.
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Official Assessment
The light came from a battery-operated lamp attached to a weather balloon.
The object was identified as a weather balloon. Although no balloons were officially scheduled for release at the time of the sighting, the report notes that there is considerable local deviation from the schedule. A similar object reported from the base was previously conclusively identified as a balloon.
Key Persons
- Andrew G. LindsayLt Colonel, USAF, Chief, Intelligence Division