UFO Observation Reports and Correspondence — Dayton, Ohio, June-July 1968

This document archive contains a series of correspondence and sighting questionnaires from the summer of 1968, primarily centered around the Dayton, Ohio area. Numerous citizens reported sightings of unidentified flying objects, often describing them as disc-shaped or egg-shaped objects with flashing lights. The Air Force, through the Aerial Phenomena Office (Project Blue Book) led by Lt. Colonel Hector Quintanilla, Jr., investigated these reports. The investigation concluded that the majority of these sightings were not extraterrestrial in origin but were instead caused by a Cessna 172 aircraft operated by Barnes Aerial Advertising. This aircraft was equipped with an electrical sign advertising for Stueve Ford of Miamisburg. The sign, consisting of 300 six-volt lights, was visible from significant distances and operated at low altitudes, leading to confusion among local residents. The documentation includes multiple AF Form 117 questionnaires, internal memos, and press clippings from the Dayton Daily News, which helped clarify the nature of the sightings to the public. The Air Force maintained a consistent policy of requesting formal reports from witnesses, though many reports were ultimately identified as conventional aircraft or, in some cases, film blemishes.