Kecksburg, Pennsylvania object recovery

Case

Overview

A fireball seen across several states was reported to land in woods near Kecksburg; witnesses describe a military cordon and a flatbed removal. Journalist Leslie Kean's FOIA lawsuit led NASA in 2007 to search its files again and pay legal fees.

Investigative phases

Contemporaneous press; Blue Book (meteor); Kean v. NASA FOIA suit (settled 2007); court-monitored search completed 2009; Moon Dust document releases

Reported phenomena

Fireball; acorn-shaped object reported by witnesses; military presence

Public evidence status

Lawsuit and NASA search documented; NASA reported files missing or destroyed; no recovered object documented

Alternative explanations / caveats

Bolide/meteor (official); Soviet Kosmos 96 re-entry largely ruled out by orbital timing; witness memory decades later

Next research tasks

Review State Department and Moon Dust records tied to the date; compile contemporaneous newspaper and radio logs

Last reviewed

2026-11-11

Assessment

Event date

1965-12-09

Source category

FOIA litigation records; press; witness testimony

Original data accessibility

Limited

Witness / instrument basis

Many witnesses; no instrument data

Corroboration limitations

Records missing or destroyed

Extraordinary claim assessment

Recovery of an object unverified

Current status

Open / disputed

Priority research task

Review Moon Dust cables

Lead source ID

SRC-V86-24

Last reviewed

2026-11-11

Evidence (1)

• Kean v. NASA FOIA settlement: NASA re-searched files, paid fees; files reported missing or destroyed Documented
  CE-V86-02 · 2007–2009 · Court settlement / FOIA record
  Gaps: Missing NASA files; witness accounts decades later

Documents gathered (1 line of evidence)

1 readable here · 0 with a linked primary record · 0 still need a document · All cases on the evidence map

• Kean v. NASA FOIA settlement: NASA re-searched files, paid fees; files reported missing or destroyed Readable here
  CE-V86-02 · Is case finally closed on 1965 UFO mystery? (Kean v. NASA settlement); NASA FOIA 21-HQ-F-00500: records of the Kean v. NASA FOIA lawsuit (Kecksburg 1965) (read here)