Pan American Airways FO William B. Nash, Second Officer William H. Fortenberry, in a DC-4 airliner at 8,000 feet heading 200° magnetic, were 20-25 miles north of Norfolk. They sighted a total of eight large, round, glowing red coin-shaped objects, 100 feet diameter 15 feet thick, maneuvering in two groups of three then joined slightly after by another 2. Objects approached head-on at high speed estimated at about 12,000 (27,000) mph at about 2,000 foot altitude (about 2° depression angle) silhouetted against the ground, to a position almost directly below their airliner, in a stack formation then suddenly making a 150° hairpin turn like balls bouncing off a wall, joined by two more identical but much brighter red objects which came from behind on the right under the aircraft at about the same 2,000 foot altitude as the first six objects joining formation by falling in behind, all silhouetted against the black background of bay water, with one moment when all eight objects blacked out then reappeared. At about ten miles south of Newport News objects ascended as a group in fixed formation in an arc to the right towards Newport News to about 10,000 foot altitude (about 0.4* above level or about 2° above horizon line) out to disappearance by blinking out randomly, after covering a total distance of roughly 90 miles from start to finish (35 miles on approach, 55 miles to departure). Possibly 7 ground observers.

Ruppelt's account:

On July 14 the crew of a Pan American airliner en route from New York to Miami reported eight UFO's near Newport News, Virginia, about 130 miles south of Washington.

Google map of this location.