Project 10073 Record Card: Sighting of 21 October 1961

This document consists of a Project 10073 Record Card and an associated staff message regarding a CIRVIS report filed on October 21, 1961. At 0722 GMT, the crew of a MATS C-97 aircraft, while flying at an altitude of 8,000 feet with a heading of 297 degrees magnetic, observed an unidentified object over the Atlantic Ocean at coordinates 38.44N 44.45W. The primary object appeared at the observer's nine o'clock position, approximately 45 degrees above the horizon. It was described as having a width of approximately one-quarter of a finger and was accompanied by a very bright, white flash. The object moved at a very high speed in an arc toward the horizon, disappearing at the eleven o'clock position. The duration of the observation was approximately one second, leaving behind a luminous streak that lasted for one-tenth of a second. Two minutes later, a second, much fainter object with a faded yellow color followed the same course. The weather conditions at the time were reported as clear with high, thin cirrus clouds, a very dark sky, and unlimited visibility. Communications via HF radio were noted as being very poor. The observer remarked that the object might have been a meteor, though its extreme brightness made this identification uncertain. The official conclusion recorded on the project card is that the case was evaluated as a meteor, noting that meteors can be very bright.