Project 10073 Record Card — Maxwell AFB, Alabama, 23 Jan 61

On January 23, 1961, at approximately 2030 local time, a sighting of an unidentified aerial phenomenon was reported at Maxwell Air Force Base in Alabama. The report was initiated by a Colonel Smith, who served as the Officer of the Day and received multiple calls regarding the event. The object was described by witnesses as a round, disc-like, or ball-like object, blue or blue-white in color, with a size ranging from a half-dollar to a basketball. It was observed to have a long, arching tail and was estimated to be traveling at a speed of 450 mph or faster at an altitude above 30,000 feet. The duration of the observation was approximately two seconds. The object appeared at 180 degrees true North at an elevation of 45-60 degrees above the horizon and disappeared at 180 degrees true North at an elevation of 30 degrees above the horizon. The weather conditions were reported as clear and dry with no wind. Multiple witnesses were involved, including four T-33 pilots in the Maxwell area, three civilians in the Montgomery area, and a National Guard tower operator in Birmingham. The official conclusion reached by the Air Technical Intelligence Center (ATIC) was that the object was a meteor. The report notes that the description and duration were characteristic of a meteor entering the earth's atmosphere, which burned out before reaching the surface.