Fireball over Neoga/Mattoon (between; on I-57), IL
A witness account on file, unevaluated. Most of the archive rests here, and honestly so.
The report, as filed
It almost looked like a fireball or a rocket exploding as it streaked across the sky then vanished. Quite high in the sky. Again definitely NOT a firework. And no sound either. I almost thought a plane exploded at first. Very strange.
Held as-reported from National UFO Reporting Center (record NUFORC #120655). Witness text is preserved verbatim, including its spelling; nothing is edited beyond formatting.
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For a dated, located U.S. sighting, FAA radar data and ATC communications are the records most likely to exist. Through Aletheca, the house instrument, anyone can commission the request — filed, chased, and published in the open, refusals included. The draft goes over already written: the records sought, and the date window they would live in.
Routed to: Federal Aviation Administration · records window 2015-07-22 → 2015-08-08