Project 10073 Record Card: Unknown Incident 0023-0046Z, 3 May 1959

This document details an incident occurring on May 3, 1959, within the Boston Air Defense Sector, where 18 unidentified radar tracks were detected between 0023Z and 0046Z. The tracks, moving at speeds between 200 and 400 knots at altitudes ranging from 7,000 to 18,000 feet (with a maximum of 36,000 feet), were initially treated as a potential threat. Several interceptor aircraft were scrambled from Stewart, Westover, and Otis Air Force Bases, but no intercepts were made. The tracks were observed to approach the coast, reverse course, or fade and be extrapolated inland. Extensive checks were conducted by the 26th Air Division (SAGE), including verification of radar equipment, computer checks by IBM, and coordination with air movement identification sections. Despite these efforts, the tracks remained unidentified at the time of the initial report. Subsequent analysis by the Air Technical Intelligence Center (ATIC) concluded that the 14 unidentified tracks were likely false targets. The official assessment suggests that while atmospheric ducting was ruled out by weather data from a Nantucket sounding, the returns were likely caused by 'peculiar transmission characteristics' affecting the radar systems. The report emphasizes that the failure of scrambled aircraft to make contact and the nature of the radar returns support the conclusion that the targets were not real aircraft.