UFO Report T57-31737 — Houm, Alabama, 21 November 1957

This document comprises a series of reports and a disposition form regarding a radar sighting on 21 November 1957, near Houm, Alabama. The incident involved the 657th Aircraft Control and Warning Squadron, which tracked an unidentified target on their MPS-7 and MPS-14 radar equipment. The target was initially estimated to be 15 miles long and 10 miles wide, moving at 55 knots at an altitude of 16,000 feet (later recalculated to 31,000 feet due to a malfunction in the height range indicator's earth curvature correction).

Second Lieutenant William H. Stucd, along with Staff Sergeants Shenkleburg and Stewart and Airman First Class Wright, observed the track. The target was described as having a light yellow signal with groups of small intense spots. As the target approached the station, it elongated, decreased in altitude to approximately 3,000 feet, and slowed to 30 knots upon reaching land before fading into ground clutter. The personnel attempted to coordinate with the 747th and 653rd AC&W Squadrons, both of which had radar contact but assumed the target was weather. Civil Aeronautics Administration authorities were notified, and commercial airliners in the area were alerted, but they reported negative results on their own radar equipment.

In the final disposition form dated 17 December 1957, Colonel Gordon C. Hoffman of AFCIN-4E1 concluded that the sighting was a false radar return. He noted that the lack of visual observation of such a large object, combined with the inability of airborne radar to detect it, strongly suggested it was not a physical aircraft. He attributed the return to atmospheric phenomena, noting that while weather itself does not move at high speeds, the results of weather changes can produce rapid radar reflections. The report highlights that the failure to scramble interceptor aircraft reflected the skepticism of the operating personnel regarding the target's authenticity.