Project 10073 Record Card and Air Intelligence Information Report — Kotzebue, Alaska, December 1955

This document details an Air Intelligence Information Report (IR 5004-2-56) concerning an unidentified aerial phenomenon observed near Kotzebue, Alaska, on December 8, 1955. The report, authored by 1st Lt. Harold L. Hale of the 5004th Air Intelligence Service Squadron, describes a sighting by two civilian witnesses—a pastor and a reindeer herder—who were traveling by dog sled two miles south of Kotzebue. Between 080130Z and 080145Z, the witnesses observed a brilliant, bluish-white light that lasted for approximately 10 seconds. The light was described as having the intensity of a number 22 photographic flashbulb fired from a distance of 25 feet, and it was bright enough to allow for the reading of a newspaper. Following the flash, a white vapor trail remained visible in the sky for approximately 15 minutes before being dispersed by the wind. The object traveled in a straight course across a 100-degree arc in 10 seconds, with an angle of elevation of 60 degrees and an azimuth shifting from 170 to 270 degrees. No sound was reported. The investigation included checks with the Civil Aeronautics Administration (CAA) weather stations at Fairbanks International Airport and Kotzebue, as well as the Ladd Air Force Base Weather Office. These checks confirmed that no unusual weather conditions existed at the time, no radiosonde balloons were aloft, and no radar tracks of unidentified objects were recorded by the 11th Air Division. The Geophysical Institute also reported no unusual atmospheric or astronomical disturbances. While the investigating officer concluded that the object could possibly have been a meteor, the extreme brilliance, the duration of the flash, and the persistent vapor trail led to the official determination that the sighting could not be definitively identified. The report was approved by Major William H. Greenhalgh, Jr., Commander of the 5004th Air Intelligence Service Squadron.