Report of Unusual Sighting on Flight 125/9 February 1951

On February 10, 1951, the crew of a U.S. Navy R5D aircraft (Flight 125/09) witnessed an unidentified aerial object while en route from Keflavik, Iceland, to Argentia, Newfoundland. At approximately 0055Z, while flying at 10,000 feet, the crew observed a glowing, yellowish-orange light beneath a thin layer of strato-form clouds. The object, initially estimated to be 300 feet in diameter, appeared to be on a collision course with the aircraft. As it approached, it grew significantly brighter and larger, displaying a circular shape with a glowing orange-red edge. The object then executed a 180-degree turn and disappeared over the horizon at a speed estimated by the crew to be well over 1,500 miles per hour.

The crew, including Plane Commander Fred W. Kingdon, Jr., Co-Pilot Graham E. Bethune, and Navigator Noel J. P. Koger, reported the incident to Gander Air Traffic Control, which confirmed no other aircraft were in the area. Upon landing at Argentia, the crew was interrogated by Captain D. H. Paulsen of the USAF. The incident was subsequently documented in a series of reports and memoranda under Project 10073. The Air Materiel Command (AMC) reviewed the reports and consulted with an astronomer at the AMC Graduate Center. The official conclusion reached by the AMC was that the sighting was likely an unusual 'Northern Lights' (aurora) display, although the aircrew's detailed descriptions of the object's physical characteristics and rapid, controlled maneuvers suggest they did not share this assessment. The document includes individual statements from seven crew members, all of whom were experienced North Atlantic fliers, and reflects the military's attempt to reconcile the anomalous report with known natural phenomena.