Project Blue Book Case #2266. On December 8, 1952, an unidentified object was observed at Ladd Air Force Base near Fairbanks, Alaska — a critical Cold War installation that served as a staging base for Arctic operations and cold-weather testing. Ladd was just 100 miles south of the Arctic Circle, and its proximity to the Soviet Union across the Bering Strait made it one of America's most forward-deployed continental installations.
December in interior Alaska brought near-total darkness and extreme cold. Personnel were trained to operate in these conditions and to distinguish between Aurora Borealis and genuine aerial contacts. The case was classified "Unknown."