Project 10073 Record Card — Nagshead, North Carolina, 11 July 1961

On July 11, 1961, at 2055 EST, a U.S. Air Force Captain and his 12-year-old daughter observed an unidentified aerial phenomenon while at a beach resort in Nagshead, North Carolina. The witness, a command pilot with 15 years of experience, described the object as having a blunt front end and a wider rear end, appearing blurred and roughly three times the size of the North Star. The object moved in a NE-SE trajectory, starting at approximately 30 degrees above the horizon and ascending to 50 degrees before disappearing after about 15 seconds. The witness reported that the object exhibited rapid, zig-zagging motion up and down. The weather conditions were reported as clear with 15 miles of visibility, dry, warm, and with a slight breeze. The witness explicitly noted that the object was not an airplane. The official conclusion recorded on the project record card suggests the object was likely a meteor, noting that while the flight path was long and the zig-zag motion unusual, these could be attributed to the object's irregular shape and atmospheric effects.