Project 10073 Record Card: Sighting of Amber Object, 11 November 1956

On 11 November 1956, at 2246Z, the crew of a C-54 aircraft, identified as 1st Lt. Bluford R. Sleey and Capt. Harley P. Hooper of the 6614th Air Transport Squadron, reported an unidentified amber object while flying from Goose Air Base, Labrador, to Frobisher Bay, Baffin Island. The object was observed for approximately 15 to 20 seconds, during which it overtook and passed the reporting aircraft at a high rate of speed before disappearing. The navigator noted a blinking red light as the object pulled away. At the time of the sighting, the reporting aircraft was at an altitude of 9,000 feet, with the object estimated to be at 12,000 feet. Weather conditions included a scattered cloud layer at 5,000 feet MSL and a haze layer on the horizon. No other air traffic was known to be in the area, and there was no radar contact. Following the report, an evaluation was conducted under the CIRVIS program. It was subsequently determined that the sighting was likely a rocket firing test conducted by the USS Rushmore in the Davis Strait area between Goose Bay and Frobisher Bay. An official comment on the evaluation card noted that while the incident was not considered a UFO report, it was filed for future reference, clarifying that the identification of the object as a friendly or Soviet aircraft was a matter for the local Air Defense Command and the USAF.