Sighting of Unusual Lights by USAF Pilots

On January 30, 1958, Major Herbert M. Carr and Major Clayton F. Gray, flying a T-33 aircraft at 30,000 feet, observed a series of unusual lights while on a routine training flight near Zama, Japan. The pilots reported sighting a total of 12 lights on three separate occasions, appearing in groups of 5, 4, and 3. The lights were described as yellow to yellow-orange in color, with a size estimated to be between a basketball and a bushel basket. The objects appeared to be stationary, with each flash lasting approximately one-half second. The pilots were flying at an altitude of 30,000 feet with unlimited visibility above a thin cloud layer at 10,000 feet. Following the incident, an intelligence investigation was conducted by the 41st Air Division. The investigation concluded that the lights were likely related to a missile test facility being established by the Japanese Defense Agency on the southern end of Nii Jima, located approximately 60 nautical miles south of Zama. A separate internal memo notes that Japan had recently fired rockets with plastic bodies from balloons, and it was believed these were the first such firings, potentially involving an anchored balloon. The report was initially classified but later declassified under authority AFR 205-11.