Project 10073 Record Card and Associated Incoming Messages — 3 December 1961

This document collection details a sighting of an unidentified flaming object on December 3, 1961, reported by USAF pilots LtCol Gaylord and Capt. Johnson of the 965th AEW&C Squadron. The pilots, flying a T-33 aircraft, observed a round, bluish-white object with a long trail of flame or smoke descending rapidly. The object was observed to flare up and disintegrate into approximately four pieces before fading out. The sighting lasted between two and five seconds. The incident was reported through the CIRVIS (Communication Instructions for Reporting Vital Intelligence Sightings) system and subsequently processed as a Moon Dust report. Intelligence Officer 2LT Richard A. Kahane evaluated the sighting, suggesting it was either a meteor or a re-entering ESV (Earth Satellite Vehicle). Further reports were received by the Coast Guard from various parties across a wide geographical area, ranging from Fort Bragg to the Monterey Peninsula and the Sierra Nevada mountains. Based on these widespread reports and the absence of satellite reentries or missile activity, the official conclusion reached by the Air Technical Intelligence Center (ATIC) was that the object was a meteor.