Project Blue Book Case #3416. On February 2, 1955, an unidentified object was observed at Naval Air Station Miramar in San Diego, California. Miramar was the Navy's premier Pacific Fleet fighter station, home to squadrons of carrier-based interceptors and attack aircraft. The base would later gain worldwide fame as the home of the Navy Fighter Weapons School — "Top Gun."
Miramar's fighter pilots were among the most skilled and experienced aerial observers in the military. Their mission — air-to-air combat — required split-second identification of aircraft at extreme speeds and distances. For Miramar's aviators to report something they couldn't identify was exceptionally significant.
San Diego's military complex — NAS Miramar, NAS North Island, Naval Station San Diego, and the Marine Corps facilities — made the region's airspace among the busiest and most diverse in the country. Despite this familiarity with every military aircraft type, the object could not be identified. The case was classified "Unknown."