Project 10073 Record Card and CIRVIS Reports — 15 September 1961

This document collection consists of a Project 10073 record card and several Department of the Air Force staff messages regarding a CIRVIS (Communication Instructions for Reporting Vital Intelligence Sightings) report filed on September 15, 1961. A civilian pilot flying a Cessna 180 (N5331D) at 6,500 feet reported sighting a peculiar, stationary cloud formation while flying from Kotzebue (OTZ) to the Kivalina area. The witness described the object as a single cloud with a vertical pillar extending from the horizon, which then mushroomed at the top. The object was observed for approximately 20 minutes before it dissipated. The pilot estimated the distance to the object to be between 300 and 400 miles. Weather conditions were reported as clear with unlimited visibility. The sighting was evaluated by the 748th Aircraft Control and Warning Squadron (ACWRON) at Kotzebue Air Force Station. The official conclusion recorded on the Project 10073 card indicates that the sighting was evaluated as the planet Venus, noting that it was an almost identical sighting to a previous report. The military assessment concluded that there was no apparent threat.