The case record
What was reported?
Radar targets and visual lights were reported over Washington on two consecutive weekends; fighters were scrambled.
The dates are bounds supplied by the workbook; they do not establish the exact day of an event.
- Reported date
- 19 Jul 1952 – 27 Jul 1952
- Witnesses
- Radar operators / pilots / ground observers · Many
- Investigation
- USAF / Project Blue Book
Evidence in the record
Radar; eyewitness testimony
Competing explanations
Official and research context
Radar propagation / temperature inversion cited
Conventional explanations
Anomalous propagation and normal aircraft
Arguments that remain contested
Some visual reports and radar sequences remain debated
Locations & timeline
Coordinates are representative. Area and route labels do not imply exact paths or object positions.
- Primary reference location
Washington National Airport / capital airspace
Washington
Reported event location · Approximate area radius: 25 km
38.852°, -77.039° · multipoint · High - Linked location
Washington National Airport
Arlington, Virginia, USA
Radar / observation site · Approximate area radius: 1 km
38.851°, -77.040° · point · High - Linked location
Andrews Air Force Base
Camp Springs, Maryland, USA
Military response site · Approximate area radius: 1 km
38.811°, -76.867° · point · High
Record notes
Add Pentagon, National Airport and Andrews AFB as secondary locations.
Imported starting record; individual claims and source links await editorial verification.
Original dataset status: Partially explained / disputed