Project 10073 Record Card: Sighting at Bentwaters, England, 22 Dec 60

This document is a Project 10073 record card and associated teletype report concerning an Unidentified Aerial Phenomena sighting that occurred on December 22, 1960, near Bentwaters, England. The primary witness, Captain Albert M. Ries of the 81st Tactical Fighter Wing, reported observing a round object, approximately the size of a half-dollar, at 1501 GMT. The object was described as having a bright green center with yellowish-green sides and very thin, straight, dark appendages. It exhibited a rotating motion while traveling along a straight flight path at a high rate of speed, moving from an elevation of 55-60 degrees to 25-30 degrees. The observation lasted for approximately three seconds before the object disappeared behind a cloud deck. The report notes that there was no corroborating evidence from local radar units, control tower personnel, or airborne pilots. However, another observer located four miles south-southwest reported seeing a meteorite at approximately the same time. The official conclusion reached by the preparing officer is that the object was a meteorite-type phenomenon, noting that the description and duration were characteristic of a meteor and that no satellites were reentering the atmosphere at that time.