Project 10073 Record Card: Sighting at Essex Junction, VT, 19 October 1955

On 19 October 1955, at 2338Z, a member of the 4602d AISS, identified as a Technical Sergeant, observed an unidentified object while driving home in Essex Junction, Vermont. The witness reported that the object appeared suspended for approximately three minutes, initially shaped like a half-moon and colored dull orange. The object then changed to a disk shape and shifted to a blue-white color before diminishing to a pin-point size and disappearing. The witness estimated the size of the object to be that of a pea held at arm's length. The investigator, who witnessed the final 30 seconds of the event, conducted an immediate check with controlling agencies at Ethan Allen Air Force Base. It was determined that two jet aircraft were in the area performing night transition maneuvers using GCA control. The official conclusion reached by the reporting agency was that the object was 'Probably Aircraft,' specifically an F-86 jet flying away from the observer at a distance of 5 to 10 miles. The report suggests that the afterburner in operation caused the orange glow, and the angle of the aircraft relative to the observer caused the exhaust to appear as a half-moon shape before the aircraft turned to a direct straight-away course and faded from sight.