Editing Kecksburg UFO Crash 1965 — Master Case File (section)

=== Primary Case Identification ===

{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Field !! Detail
|-
| Incident date || December 9, 1965
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| Time of fireball first observed || Approximately 4:43 PM Eastern Standard Time
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| Primary impact / landing location || Kecksburg, Mount Pleasant Township, Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania
|-
| Community population (1965) || Approximately 250 residents
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| Distance from Pittsburgh || Approximately 30–40 miles southeast
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| Elevation of impact area || Approximately 1,200 feet above sea level
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| Terrain type || Densely wooded ravines and hillsides; rural western Pennsylvania
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| Fireball observed in || Pennsylvania, Ohio, Michigan, Indiana, West Virginia, New York, Ontario (Canada)
|-
| Military units confirmed present || U.S. Army; U.S. Air Force (via Project Blue Book)
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| Chief civilian investigator || Stan Gordon — Western Chestnut UFO Study Group (WCUFOSG)
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| First journalist on scene || John Murphy, News Director, WHJB Radio, Greensburg PA
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| Official military statement || "Searchers fail to find object"
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| Object described by witnesses || Bronze-gold acorn/bell-shaped metallic craft, approx. 10–12 ft long
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| Transport destination (witness) || Lockbourne AFB, Ohio → Wright-Patterson AFB, Ohio
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| FOIA litigation || Leslie Kean / Coalition for Freedom of Information v. NASA (filed 2003)
|-
| Current official status || Attributed to meteor or Soviet satellite Cosmos 96; both attributions disputed
|}