Project 10073 Record Card and Incoming Message — 30 July 1961

On July 30, 1961, at 0800Z, an airline pilot flying for Seaboard and World Airways reported an unidentified aerial phenomenon over the Atlantic Ocean at coordinates 52.25N 32.40W. The pilot described the object as a round, basketball-sized entity that appeared to be a rocket cone reentering the atmosphere. The object followed a parabolic curve before transitioning into an almost vertical descent, heading approximately 110 degrees at a 45-degree angle. It emitted a high-temperature blue-white light for approximately 10 seconds, followed by a long tail of bright red and orange flames for two seconds before exploding like a skyrocket. The pilot, who noted the object was larger than a basketball and distinct from a meteorite, reported no sound. The aircraft was at an altitude of 12,000 feet with clear skies. The incident was reported through military channels, including McGuire AFB and NORAD. Despite the pilot's report, the official conclusion reached by the Air Technical Intelligence Center (ATIC) was that the object possessed characteristics of a meteor. Because no actual reentries were recorded on that date, the case was officially classified as a meteor due to the lack of contradictory data.