Project 10073 Record Card and Incident Report — Springfield, Massachusetts, 8 February 1961

On February 8, 1961, at approximately 1830 local time, a witness in Springfield, Massachusetts, observed an unidentified aerial phenomenon. The witness, identified as a machinist at Smith and Wesuon, described a bluish-white cylindrical object with a reddish, cone-like tail. The object appeared to be at a high altitude and traveled in a straight, non-arcing path toward the East before disappearing instantaneously. The observation lasted approximately two to three seconds, and no sound was reported. The incident was documented on a Project 10073 record card and subsequently reported via teletype by the 57th Air Division at Westover AFB. Intelligence personnel from the 99th Bomb Wing investigated the sighting. They cross-referenced the report with local air traffic data, which indicated that a B-52 aircraft was performing a landing maneuver in the area at the time, specifically at 2319Z, with the pilot, Captain T. Swearingin, activating terrain lights. The investigation concluded that while the witness's description of a bluish-white object could potentially be attributed to the B-52's landing lights reflecting off haze and smoke, the lack of engine noise and the short duration of the sighting made the B-52 an unlikely candidate. Consequently, the official assessment suggested the object was likely a very fast meteor.