Project 10073 Record Card — Collins, Ontario, Canada, 15 November 1961

On November 15, 1961, at approximately 2040 hours, a civilian witness near Collins, Ontario, reported observing a large, oval-shaped object described as a 'ball of fire.' The witness, who was ice skating on a pond at the time, stated that the object traveled from east to west at a low altitude, remaining below the cloud layer. The witness explicitly noted that the object was neither an aircraft nor a weather balloon. The weather conditions at the time were reported as overcast, with cloud ceilings recorded at 4000 feet at 2030 hours and 3000 feet at 2100 hours, with winds from the west-northwest at 8 knots. The sighting lasted for a few minutes. Following the report, the 914th ACWRON at Armstrong, Canada, conducted an inquiry into the incident. The Director on Duty in Operations, CWD Yoakum, confirmed that no corresponding objects were detected on radar scopes during the time of the sighting. The official evaluation, documented on a Project 10073 record card, concluded that the object exhibited all the characteristics of a fireball and classified the event as a probable meteor. The report notes that the witness's estimation of time may not have been accurate and suggests that the local overcast conditions might have influenced the observation, as the object was likely some distance away from the witness's location.