Radar and pilots track unknown objects over Washington, D.C.
July 19, 1952 – July 27, 1952 · Washington National Airport, Washington, DC · Sighting · Primary document linked
On 19 and 20 July 1952, radar at Washington National Airport and Andrews Air Force Base tracked unexplained blips over the capital, and they reappeared on 27 July. Air Force interceptors were scrambled and found nothing. The Air Force suggested the blips might be caused by temperature inversions, and a later Civil Aeronautics Administration study agreed.
Why it matters (4/5)
Radar returns over the capital drew a Pentagon press conference of a size not seen since World War II.
Caveats
This entry gives the official explanation as the CIA history reports it. Accounts by radar operators and pilots who disputed it, the CAA study and the Air Force files were not opened.
Sources
- CIA's Role in the Study of UFOs, 1947-90 (Gerald K. Haines) (Central Intelligence Agency, Studies in Intelligence), primary