Project 10073 Record Card — Cornwall, Vermont, 27 February 1960

On 27 February 1960, at approximately 2330Z, a group of 15 to 20 civilians attending a wedding party in Cornwall, Vermont, observed an unidentified aerial phenomenon. The object was described as a round, star-like entity with a silver or reflected light appearance. It possessed a tail spanning 5 to 7 degrees of arc, which was reddish at the head and faded to a pale yellow toward the end. The object was observed descending and moving away from the witnesses, initially sighted at a bearing of 170 degrees and disappearing at 140 degrees. The total duration of the sighting was one minute and fifteen seconds. Among the witnesses were Captain John F. Harvell of the 323rd Fighter Interceptor Squadron and his father, a Naval Commander. The report was processed under Project 10073 and referenced Air Force Regulation 200-2. Initial investigations by the 14th Fighter Group and the Air Technical Intelligence Center (ATIC) concluded that the object was likely a jet aircraft operating with an afterburner at a significant distance. The report suggests that the witnesses were likely experiencing an optical illusion caused by the observation of a distant light source through an atmospheric inversion layer. This conclusion was supported by the presence of a fighter group in the area and a report from Colonel Richardson at Boling Air Force Base regarding a balloon launch that coincided with the sighting time, though the final assessment favored the jet aircraft explanation.