Lake Michigan: Orange crescent object falls into lake
Otto Ernst and family saw a bright orange crescent-shaped object over Lake Michigan that seemed to fall behind a dune. Searches by authorities found no crash evidence despite multiple reports.
Background
Sighting and Description
On December 16, 1950 at midnight, near the boundary between Ottawa and Muskegon County on Lake Michigan, Otto Ernst reported a large, glowing orange object. It resembled a flaming, crescent-shaped banana that glowed like a campfire and hovered above the water. Ernst watched it with his five children until it disappeared behind a dune and apparently fell into the water.
Further Witnesses
At the same time, an unnamed man in Dalton Township, Muskegon County saw a bright object or a large aircraft over the lake.
Investigation
State police, the Coast Guard, two pilots from Muskegon, and civil aviation authorities searched the shore and the water for hours. No oil slick, wreckage, or crash trace was found. No aircraft were reported missing from Michigan or Milwaukee, 75 miles away. Reflections from clouds were considered; the cause remained unresolved.
Significance
The case is among the early UAP sightings with an apparent crash but no evidence; typical of 1950s investigations that produced no result.