Project 10073 Record Card — N-31, Pepperrell AFB, NF, 2 April 1956

On April 2, 1956, between 0430 and 0528 GMT, a group of nine military personnel stationed at Pepperrell Air Force Base in Newfoundland observed an unidentified aerial object. The witnesses, including S/Sgt Ronald Duffy—the only individual among them with formal weather training—reported seeing a circular object that displayed red, orange, and blue colors. The object was described as brilliant and flashing, with a movement pattern that included noticeable bobbing. The sighting lasted for 58 minutes, during which the object was estimated to be at an altitude of 500 feet and traveling at a speed of approximately 30 knots on a North to North-East heading. Despite the duration of the event, there was no radar contact made with the object. Weather conditions at the time were reported as clear with 15 miles of visibility. The official evaluation of the incident, conducted by the Air Technical Intelligence Center, concluded that the object was the planet Venus. The report notes that Venus was positioned in the Northwest and, due to the low altitude and the latitude of the observers, it would have appeared to move in a northerly direction. The investigators determined that the reported color changes and behavior were consistent with the observation of an astronomical body, and despite the lack of a specific azimuth report, all other data pointed to Venus as the source of the sighting.