1952: Engineer observes object over National City, California

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THINK ABOUTIT SIGHTING REPORT

Date: May 13, 1952

Sighting Time: Approximately 8:55 p.m. PDT

Day/Night: Night

Location: National City, California

Urban or Rural: –

Hynek Classification: NL (Nocturnal Light) Point or extended luminous source observed at night.

Duration:

No. of Object(s): 1

Height & Speed:

Size of Object(s):

Distance to Object(s):

Shape of Object(s):

Color of Object(s):

Number of Witnesses: Donald R. Carr, aeronautical engineer, and at least six others in separate locations, including a teacher who is a former Navy pilot.

Source: Richard Hall, UFO Evidence, 1964 (NICAP – National Investigations Committee on Aerial Phenomenon) Original Source

Summary/Description: From the witness: “To the naked eye the object appeared as a sphere of about 1/16 inch diameter… Through the [6 power] telescope the object presented a larger disc but the brightness did not appreciably increase… In level flight the object seemed to dart from side to side in an oscillating motion without diminishing of forward speed…Its dive from an extreme altitude at possibly meteoric speed, its deceleration, leveling off, and circle of the city twice indicate that it arrived from interplanetary space and was under intelligent control.” 

Full Report

“I saw what I thought was the trail of a large meteor appear, approximately 5 degrees of arc East of a line between the two pointers and almost exactly in the center of the bowl of the Big Dipper. [See diagram.] The trail was of a red color and appeared to be coming down at about an angle of 20 degrees to my line of sight and in a southwesterly direction. Only the red trail was visible for about two seconds and then a small white dot became visible, from which the trail was emanating. The speed appeared to be meteoric and so I still thought the object was what is commonly called a ‘shooting star.’ [After 2 or 3 seconds] the white object had an apparent diameter of 1/64 to 1/32 inch. The trail faded and the object still continued coming down. The speed appeared to be decreasing and I noted a certain erratic quality to the flight of the object, which now appeared to have a self-luminous or fluorescent quality. . . [for about 10 more seconds] the object was following a gradual curved path in process of leveling off. . . [then] the object was flying level on a course almost due West. . . I estimated the altitude of the object at this point of its trajectory to be from 10,000 to 15,000 feet. Its speed at this time appeared to be within the range of known aircraft speeds. To the naked eye the object appeared as a sphere of about 1/16 inch diameter. . . . Through the [6 power] telescope the object presented a larger disc but the brightness did not appreciably increase. . . . In level flight the object seemed to dart from side to side in an oscillating motion without diminishing of forward speed. . . After traveling a course almost due West for approximately one mile, the object turned toward the Northwest and appeared to circle over San Diego Bay and Point Loma and disappeared traveling North at a constant altitude and speed. During the entire time the object was visible there was absolutely no apparent sound created by it. Despite its terrific speed in its dive there was no shock wave or noise from its power source.”

About 9:25 p.m., Mr. Carr observed what appeared to be the same object returning from the North, and circling West. It passed over downtown San Diego, where bright ground lights seemed to reflect off a metal hull.

“It is my conviction,” Mr. Carr stated, “that since this object followed an apparently controlled course it was not moving under the influence of gravity, and must have been guided by an intelligence unknown to us. Its dive from an extreme altitude at possibly meteoric speed, its deceleration, leveling off, and circle of the city twice indicate that it arrived from interplanetary space and was under intelligent control.”

The former Navy Pilot, Harold Strawn, with a group of students in La Mesa also witnessed the meteoric appearance, the leveling off and circling.