UFO Report - Jacksonville, Florida - 11 March 1965

On March 11, 1965, at 0502Z, a bright light or flash was observed in the vicinity of Jacksonville, Florida, and southeastern Georgia. The event was reported by five aircraft crews and one ground-based observer at the Thomas Cole Imeson Tower. The witnesses described the phenomenon as a very bright light or flash, with one witness identifying it as a missile and another noting the flash was blue in color. The object was visible only momentarily and no movement was reported by any of the witnesses. Two aircraft reported the object at 40 and 45 degrees above the horizon. The sighting was evaluated by the Assistant Base Operations Officer at Moody AFB. The official conclusion suggested the object was likely a meteorite or a burning satellite. The report explicitly notes that the brightness of the flash ruled out a high-altitude balloon. Furthermore, inquiries to Cape Kennedy, Eglin AFB, and Tyndall AFB confirmed that the incident was not related to any of their activities. The report highlights the lack of radar detection and the short duration of the event as factors in the assessment. A written log of the event was held by Mr. Charles Mathews, a shift crew chief at the Jacksonville ARTCC.