Unidentified flying object sighted by multiple witnesses in Nebraska in 1959

Summary

In May 1959, a U.S. Air Force officer at Offutt AFB, Nebraska, reported the sighting of an unidentified flying object. The witness, Staff Sergeant Harold Applegate, described an oval object, twice the size of a pinhead, with a blue-white glow that occasionally showed a yellowish hue. The object moved without a tail for more than two minutes, followed by intermittent bursts of ten seconds with a flame six times its length. The sighting was reported by Applegate, an experienced aircraft recognition technician, and also confirmed by other observers, including control tower operators in Omaha and Des Moines.

The Air Force attempted to gather more information but failed to confirm the object's nature. Several possibilities were considered, such as balloons, aircraft, or astronomical phenomena, but there were insufficient data for a definitive conclusion. The incident was meticulously documented, including details about the time, location, and trajectory of the object. Despite multiple sightings, the final report concluded that there was not enough information to determine the object's origin.