Project 10073 Record Card - Sighting near Raleigh, N.C., 17 September 1961

On September 17, 1961, at approximately 05:00 EDT, a witness and a companion were traveling north on U.S. Route 1, roughly 25 miles south of Raleigh, North Carolina, when they observed an unidentified aerial phenomenon. The witness, who identified themselves as having prior U.S. Navy experience, described the object as appearing like a 'burning star' that emitted smoke. The object was observed for approximately 10 minutes. According to the witness's account, the object hovered, moved in a spiral motion in a horizontal plane, and changed shapes, resembling a question mark and a girl's face. The witness noted the color as a 'dry rust brown' and stated there was no sound. The witness initially thought it was a plane crash or a star burning out. The object eventually disappeared as the smoke thinned. The witness reported the event to the U.S. Air Force, which initiated an investigation under Project 10073. The official conclusion reached by the Air Technical Intelligence Center (ATIC) was that the sighting was likely a balloon with a smoke flare attached, noting that such flares are used for observation purposes and that the observed behavior—hovering, slow speed, and duration—was consistent with a balloon. The witness provided detailed sketches of the object's path and appearance in the provided questionnaire. The witness also mentioned a previous sighting in 1953 off the coast of Cuba, where they claimed to have seen two shooting stars moving north.