Project 10073 Record Card — Sighting at Wheelus AB, Tripoli, Libya, 2 Dec 60

On December 2, 1960, at 2216 GMT, a duty observer from Detachment 13 of the 21st Weather Squadron at Wheelus Air Base in Tripoli, Libya, reported a sighting of an unidentified aerial object. The observer, a USAF weather observer noted as reliable, was on the catwalk of the weather observation tower when they witnessed a ball of flame with a tapering flaming tail. The object was described as being fire orange in color, with the tail appearing as a lighter shade of orange to yellow. The tail was estimated to be six times the diameter of the ball itself. The object was observed for approximately five to six seconds as it moved from north to south or from northwest to southeast. The observer noted that the object appeared larger and slower than a typical shooting star. At the time of the sighting, the weather was clear with a visibility of 12 miles, a temperature of 53 degrees Fahrenheit, and a dewpoint of 49 degrees Fahrenheit. The observer was not alerted to watch for such phenomena at the time. The incident was reported via official military channels, including a message to the Air Technical Intelligence Center (ATIC) and Project Space Track. Major Wininger, the commander of Detachment 13, served as the reporting officer. In his assessment, Major Wininger concluded that the sighting was a 'bonfied' (bona fide) sighting of a meteor or the reentry of a space vehicle. The report was processed in accordance with Air Force Regulation 200-2, which governed the reporting of such phenomena. The documentation includes the original Project 10073 record card, multiple message forms, and detailed follow-up reports confirming the observer's location and the environmental conditions at the time of the event. No radar contact was made, and no photographs or film were taken of the object.