Project 10073 Record Card and Incident Report — North Concord AFS, Vermont, 19 September 1961

On 19 September 1961, at 2122Z, radar operators at the 911 Radar Squadron at North Concord AFS, Vermont, detected an unidentified target. The object was observed at an altitude of 62,000 feet. The initial radar contact was recorded at 196 degrees at 84 miles. Over the course of an 18-minute observation, the target displayed an erratic flight path, moving to 199 degrees at 78 miles and then to 199 degrees at 80 miles, before remaining stationary and eventually being lost from contact at 2140Z. The observation was conducted by SSGT Robert P. Chisick, A2C Russel P. Gray, A2C Larry D. Ledlow, and A3C John C. McLaughlin, all of whom were deemed reliable. The weather conditions at the time were reported as clear, though Hurricane Esther was noted in the region at 31 degrees North, 72 degrees West. The official conclusion reached by the Air Technical Intelligence Center was that the target was likely a high-altitude weather balloon, citing the relative low speed, high altitude, and erratic, hovering behavior as characteristic of such an object.