Project 10073 Record Card — Presque Isle AFB, Maine, 3 September 1957

On September 3, 1957, three airmen stationed at Presque Isle Air Force Base in Maine reported observing an unidentified aerial object. The witnesses, identified as a legal clerk and two other personnel from the 23rd Fighter Group (Air Defense), described the object as a round, white light, roughly the size of a silver dollar. They reported that the object appeared to be 'zig-zagging' and moving upward, with one witness describing it as a 'star falling up.' The observation lasted approximately two minutes. The report was submitted in accordance with Air Force Regulation 200-2. The weather conditions at the time were described as very dark with low clouds and fog, which led to skepticism regarding the observers' ability to accurately track the object. An investigating officer noted that the observers were familiar with base equipment, such as ceilometers and rotating beacons, and claimed to have seen these devices simultaneously with the unidentified object. The official conclusion reached by the Air Technical Intelligence Center (ATIC) was that the observers likely saw a light attached to a radiosonde balloon launched to record upper winds, though the possibility of an aircraft was also mentioned. The report ultimately categorized the incident as having insufficient data for a definitive analysis, and internal notes on the document suggest that the observers' statements were inconsistent.