The Washington radar wave
Unidentified targets appeared on radar over two weekends and were also reported visually. Temperature inversion was offered as a partial explanation.
Targets over the capital
Shortly before midnight on 19 July 1952, controller Edward Nugent saw seven unusual targets on radar at Washington National Airport. Andrews Air Force Base detected related targets, while pilots and people on the ground reported lights in the same area. Interceptors were launched, but the targets faded or moved away. The pattern returned on the night of 26 to 27 July, again involving radar, visual reports and military aircraft.
The Air Force response
The headlines led the Air Force to hold its largest press conference since the Second World War. Major General John Samford said the events posed no security threat and discussed temperature inversions as a possible source of unusual radar returns. Several controllers maintained that the targets behaved like real objects. The two separate weekends and the combination of radar operators, pilots and ground witnesses gave the Washington wave its enduring importance.