Report on UFO Sighting — Dayton, Ohio, 18 February 1965

On February 18, 1965, a civilian witness reported observing an unidentified aerial object over downtown Dayton, Ohio. The witness, who was on a work break, first spotted the object at approximately 1202 hours. The object was initially mistaken for a satellite, but the witness noted that its behavior was inconsistent with satellite movement. The object appeared as a bright, rotating white beacon that would vanish and reappear. It was observed at an elevation of 80 degrees, moving in a horizontal plane toward Cincinnati until it reached an elevation of 65 degrees. At that point, it stopped suddenly, climbed vertically, and disappeared. It reappeared six seconds later, descended to its original altitude, and displayed seven or eight colored lights (red, green, blue, etc.) without a specific pattern. The object then circled the Dayton area at a high rate of speed, estimated by the witness to be at or above 40,000 feet. The total duration of the sighting was approximately one and a half minutes. The witness expressed strong conviction that the object was not a conventional aircraft, noting that he was familiar with aircraft taking off from the local base and that this object moved faster and looked different than anything he had previously seen. 1/Lt James E. Martin of the USAF investigated the report, contacting the SAC command post to check for radar data. Radar operators reported no contact during the sighting period, though they noted a KC-135 aircraft was penetrating the area at 1225 hours from 25,000 feet. The official conclusion recorded on the report form identifies the object as a KC-135 aircraft on an exercise, possibly landing.