Report on UFO Investigation, Kokomo, Indiana, 7/24/66

This field report, authored by W. T. Powers on July 24, 1966, details an investigation into a UFO sighting that occurred on the night of July 22, 1966, in Kokomo, Indiana. Between 2210 and 2300 hours, twelve witnesses reported observing oval-shaped, blue-white lights moving rapidly in the sky. The primary witness, Chief Deputy W. C. Dieterly of the Howard County Sheriff's Department, observed the lights while driving and noted they appeared to move in fast, jerky, and circular patterns. Other witnesses, including the Hillman family, also provided accounts, though there was significant disagreement regarding the cloud cover on the night in question. Some witnesses claimed the night was clear, while others insisted it was cloudy. The investigator conducted interviews and analyzed the reports, noting that the lights were described as having a halo effect and, at times, rays of light extending upward. The investigation concluded that the phenomena were not anomalous. By cross-referencing the reports with weather data from the Indianapolis weather bureau—which confirmed cloud layers at 16,000 and 20,000 feet—and accounting for the geometry of the sightings, the investigator determined that the lights were likely the result of six searchlights operating at a used car lot in Indianapolis, approximately 40 miles away. The report explains that the perceived rapid motion was an optical illusion caused by the distance and the angle of the searchlight beams hitting the cloud layers. The investigator dismissed the possibility of an extraterrestrial or unknown origin, attributing the sightings to terrestrial searchlights.