A US Air Force pilot flying near Guam saw a flashing light in the sky. He reported an unidentified light, and the incident was recorded in an Air Force report.
Before the sighting, an illuminated weather balloon was launched in the area. The report raised the possibility that the balloon was connected to the light, but only under a specific condition. For the explanation to fit, the balloon would have had to malfunction and remain at a low altitude.
What the Pilot Reported
The incident occurred on December 31, 1956, near Guam. The pilot was flying a US Air Force aircraft and reported seeing a flashing light in the air. The report did not identify the source of the light.
The report described the case as it was submitted at the time of the incident. Afterward, the possibility that the balloon launched in the area was connected to the sighting was examined. The fact that the balloon was launched beforehand provided a basis to investigate the connection, but it was not sufficient on its own to explain what the pilot saw.
The Condition the Balloon Had to Meet
The report was not satisfied with merely stating that an illuminated balloon was in the area. The officer who prepared it wrote that the balloon might explain the light if it malfunctioned and remained at a relatively low altitude. In other words, the explanation relied on two things together: a balloon malfunction and a low altitude.
If this condition was met, the balloon could have been related to the reported light. If not, the report did not consider this explanation a sufficient answer. The report contains no further description of the balloon, the possible malfunction, or what happened to it after launch. Therefore, there is no way to compare the balloon's trajectory with the moment the pilot saw the light.
Thus, a gap remained between two details that appear in the same story: an unidentified flashing light and an illuminated balloon that was launched beforehand. A connection between them was suggested, but it depended on a condition that was not clarified.
What Is Still Unknown
It is unknown if the balloon malfunctioned and stayed low, and if the light was related to it. The report did not determine what caused the light; it offered the balloon only as a possible explanation under that condition.
