Declassified UFO / UAP Document
Project 10073 Record Card — Southern Victoria Island, Canada, 18 Dec 59
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AI-Generated Summary
An unidentified radar track detected over Southern Victoria Island in December 1959 was investigated by the Air Technical Intelligence Center. The case was closed as having insufficient data, with investigators suggesting the track was likely caused by anomalous propagation or a balloon.
This document consists of a Project 10073 record card and subsequent military correspondence regarding an unidentified radar track detected on December 18, 1959, near Southern Victoria Island, Canada. The radar contact, identified at site PIN 3828, lasted for one hour and 33 minutes, with the object moving in a southeasterly direction at speeds estimated between 40 and 60 knots. The report notes that the area was experiencing anomalous propagation at the time. Official evaluations by the Air Technical Intelligence Center, specifically by Captain Keriakou and Colonel Gordon C. Hoffman, concluded that the radar pick-up could have been caused by anomalous propagation, potentially exacerbated by a severe temperature inversion and permanent echoes. Alternatively, the report suggests that based on winds aloft and the track's groundspeed, the object could possibly have been a balloon. Ultimately, the investigators determined that the lack of sufficient information made a more thorough analysis impossible, and the case was officially closed as having insufficient data for evaluation. The file includes a request for evaluation from the Air Technical Intelligence Center dated December 28, 1959, and a subsequent endorsement dated January 21, 1960.
The reported anomolous propagation in the area could possibly be responsible for the unidentified radar pick up, particularly if a severe temperature inversion existed and permanent echoes on the radar were predominant.
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Official Assessment
Based on the winds aloft, track movement and track groundspeed, the UFO could possibly be a balloon; however, lack of information on this UFO makes a more detailed and thorough analysis impossible.
The radar track may have been caused by anomalous propagation, particularly if a severe temperature inversion existed, or it could have been a balloon.
Key Persons
- Philip G. EvansColonel, USAF
- KeriakouCapt.