What happened
On July 14, 1952, at 8:12 p.m., a Pan American DC-4 was flying from New York to Miami. Over Chesapeake Bay, near Newport News, First Officer William Nash and copilot William Fortenberry saw six bright red discs flying in formation far below them. The objects suddenly slowed, reversed course at a sharp angle, and were joined by two more, after which the whole group climbed and blinked out. The pilots estimated the discs’ diameter at about 30 meters (100 feet) and their speed at several thousand kilometers per hour. After landing in Miami they were questioned by Air Force investigators, who told them that similar objects had been reported by other witnesses in the area.
Witnesses
First Officer William Nash and copilot William Fortenberry of Pan American; according to investigators, also several ground observers.
Explanations and hypotheses
Donald Menzel suggested that the pilots had seen reflections of searchlights or other lights in a temperature inversion layer, but he did not identify a specific source. Other skeptics link the sighting to military exercises in the Norfolk area. Project Blue Book gave no final explanation, and the case is considered one of the best sightings by civilian pilots.
Unexplained There is no convincing explanation.
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