Pilots and crew of B-36 aircraft (one named Ruth) saw three bright lights of equal intensity in stacked vertical echelon formation approaching at moderately high speed (cruise speed of F-86), one object suddenly accelerated then came to complete halt and the other two objects did the same, then returned to original formation and repeated the maneuver, ending in a horizontal echelon with center object the pivot, then all climbed steeply in "swinging" motion at high speed. Possible ground radar contact.

Several balls were observed by nine male military witnesses in a warplane for under ten minutes (Ruth).

Condon Report: 115-B. Carswell AFB (Fort Worth area), Tex., 13 February 1953, 0235 LST. Weather: clear with visibility unlimited; temperature inversion layer with sharp humidity lapse at 3,070 ft. altitude, elevated radio duct at 4,240 ft. altitude. Applicable refractivity profile for 0300 LST shown in Fig.. 2. Visual observers saw a "formation" of three bright lights which performed a series of maneuvers suggestive of an aircraft with landing lights doing several rolls and then climbing rapidly and heading away. Operators then attempted to pick up the object on an APG 41 radar, and after about two minutes they brought in two apparently stationary targets on the correct azimuth. It seems likely that these returns were from ground objects seen via partial reflection from the strong elevated layers (gradients -154 and -311 km-1). The visual sighting was probably an aircraft.

Google map of this location.