Report on Unidentified Flying Object — Dothan, Alabama, 9 December 1957

On 9 December 1957, Major Norman W. Goodwin and Captain George E. Thayer of the United States Army Aviation School observed an unidentified aerial object while flying over Dothan, Alabama. The sighting occurred between 1958 and 2005Z. The witnesses described the object as a single light, similar in appearance to an aircraft or radio tower light, which exhibited a color shift from red to pink to white and back to red. The object was observed for approximately seven minutes, during which it appeared to move up and down by 50 to 100 feet at a rate of about once per minute. The object was initially sighted at an altitude of 8,000 feet at an azimuth of 240 degrees, and was last seen at 14,000 feet before fading away rapidly to the right at 330 degrees. The observers were flying in an L-23 aircraft at 8,000 feet, heading 240 degrees at 150 MPH. No radar contact was made, and no physical evidence was recovered. Captain Marion E. Hill, the preparing officer, concluded that the object was likely an aircraft light or exhaust from an aircraft flying toward Eglin Field. This assessment was concurred with by the intelligence division. The report includes a list of other sightings from 10-15 December 1957, which categorizes various phenomena, including meteors, satellites, and balloons, alongside this specific incident.