Air Intelligence Information Report: D3-UFOB-1-56

This Air Intelligence Information Report details the investigation of an Unidentified Aerial Phenomenon (UAP) sighting reported on January 18, 1956, by a civilian businessman in Atlantic Beach, Long Island, New York. The witness, while driving home at 2140Z, observed an object he initially mistook for a crescent-shaped sliver of the moon. Upon stopping his car and later using 10x50 binoculars from his home, he observed the object for approximately 25 minutes. He described the object as a white, oblong, spiral-shaped entity with a smoke trail, which appeared to be a solid object that drifted slowly downward from an initial elevation of 30 degrees to 20 degrees before disappearing into darkness. The witness noted that the object appeared to be three to five times the size of a commercial aircraft at a similar distance. Following the report, Detachment 3 of the 4602d Air Intelligence Squadron conducted a thorough investigation. They checked with local Filter Centers, base operations at Mitchel AFB, and the Coast Guard, all of which yielded negative results. However, a check with the Stewart AFB Weather Office and subsequent analysis of wind data led investigators to conclude that the object was a pibald weather balloon. Specifically, the report posits that the balloon was released from LaGuardia Airport at 2100Z on the same day. Calculations performed by the Air Force indicated that, given the prevailing wind conditions, a balloon released at that time would have been approximately eight miles west of the observer at an altitude of 22,000 feet at the time of the sighting. The report concludes that the sighting was an explained event, identifying the object as a weather balloon. The document includes a sketch provided by the witness showing the object's various positions and provides a detailed breakdown of the meteorological data used to support the final conclusion.