UFO Sighting Report — Kirksville, Missouri, 20 January 1967

On January 20, 1967, at 1030Z, a civilian observer in Kirksville, Missouri, reported a sighting of an unidentified aerial object. The witness, a 50-year-old pre-kindergarten teacher described as reliable by the investigating officer, observed an inverted W-shaped object for approximately five to ten minutes. The object was described as being larger than an automobile but smaller than a one-story house. It displayed a complex array of red, gold, green, silver, and white lights, which were of an extremely bright intensity, illuminating the observer's vehicle and the surrounding street. The red and gold lights were steady, while the green and silver lights alternated. The object traveled in a horizontal plane toward the north before turning toward the western horizon at a very slow speed. The observer, who was also driving, attempted to follow the object but turned west before the object did. The observer eventually left the scene due to fear. The 790th Radar Squadron (SAGE) at Kirksville Air Force Station investigated the incident. They noted that the FAA had no record of IFR traffic in the area at the time. Despite the lack of radar confirmation, the official Air Force conclusion suggested the object was possibly an aircraft, noting that the description was consistent with such an observation. The weather was reported as clear with thin scattered cirroform clouds, and visibility was ten to twelve miles.