Project 10073 Record Card — Rushville, Nebraska, 29 Dec 60

On December 29, 1960, at approximately 2200 hours, multiple witnesses in Rushville, Nebraska, observed an unidentified aerial object. The object was described as round, approximately the size of a basketball, white in color, and trailing gray smoke. Witnesses reported varying durations for the sighting, ranging from a few seconds to three minutes. One witness reported hearing a sound like an explosion, and another reported a sharp, smarting sensation in their eyes and a strong acid-like odor. The local sheriff, Sheriff Hills, was called to the scene and noted a similar odor, though he confirmed that his own tear gas supplies were intact and undamaged. Other witnesses located four blocks away reported neither the odor nor the eye irritation. The investigating officer concluded that the odor and the object were likely unrelated, noting that the witness who reported the odor lived adjacent to a heavily traveled federal highway, suggesting the fumes originated from passing trucks. The official conclusion reached by the Air Technical Intelligence Center (ATIC) was that the light was likely a small private aircraft that turned and descended behind a ridge south of the town. The report also notes that the presence of numerous private airstrips in the area supported this conclusion, and that one witness had previously reported seeing similar lights in the area.