Washington National Airport radar-visual wave

Record summary

A major overnight episode involved radar operators, airport personnel, aircrew, and other observers reporting lights or objects near Washington National Airport. The reports became nationally prominent after interceptions were attempted and were later reviewed by Project Blue Book. Some accounts emphasize the apparent radar returns and visual observations; skeptical explanations have included temperature inversions, misidentified aircraft, and ordinary lights. This is a broad episode containing several individual reports, so dates, witnesses, and flight identities must be separated during research.