A British European Airways plane was en route to Berlin. Approximately a mile and a half ahead, the pilot reported seeing red rockets being fired.
These reports were recorded in the air traffic control log of Tempelhof Airport in August 1953. Later, a steady red light appeared in the area, which Soviet authorities could not explain. When another plane passed through the area, its pilot saw no light or activity.
Rockets in Front of the Plane
The aircraft was headed to Tempelhof Airport in Berlin, via a flight path known as the Central Corridor. This was an air corridor to Berlin. The area where the events were reported was under Soviet control.
The pilot described red rockets fired in front of the plane. The report was logged in the air traffic control journal. The entry does not describe what happened to the rockets afterward, or if they approached the aircraft. It simply states that the pilot reported them.
The information appears in records collected from airport logs on August 10 and 11. These include reports of incidents in the Soviet-controlled area. The rocket report was one of them.
An Unexplained Red Light
Later, another pilot from the same airline reported a steady red light. He saw it west of the town of Genthin, about 23 miles away. The light was at an altitude of approximately a mile and a half, and according to the report, it did not move from its position.
The British Air Safety Center in Berlin stated that Soviet authorities investigated the light. They were unable to explain it. A Pan American pilot later passed through the area and reported no light or activity.
What Remains Unknown
It is unknown what caused the rocket report, or what the red light was. Soviet authorities investigated the light and could not explain it.
The records contain two distinct reports: rockets in front of a plane and a steady red light. However, on a later flight, the same area showed nothing.
