Unidentified flying object sighted in Phoenix in 1952

Summary

In July 1952, a woman in Phoenix, Arizona, observed an unidentified flying object described as a ball of fire shaped like a flattened grapefruit. The object was 7 to 8 inches in diameter and left a yellow flame trail that narrowed as it moved. The witness, who was nearsighted, saw the phenomenon for 3 to 4 minutes from the front of her home. The object appeared in the northwest and disappeared in the southwest, moving across a wide arc of the sky. Attempts to contact her were unsuccessful at the time.

A follow-up investigation included a search for ground marks and a meteorological analysis. Conditions were clear with little wind, making conventional explanations unlikely. There was no military or commercial air traffic in the area at the time. Although other possibilities such as planes or balloons were considered, the report concluded without a clear resolution. The case was filed without a conclusion but remains an example of how civilian testimonies were handled during the Cold War.