Project 10073 Record Card and Incoming Message — Fairbanks, Alaska, August 1962

On August 11, 1962, a 43-year-old engineer for the City of Fairbanks, Alaska, reported a sighting of an unidentified aerial phenomenon. The witness, located 50 to 60 miles southwest of Fairbanks, observed a round, white, and bright object for approximately four seconds. According to the report, the object appeared to be the size of a penny when first sighted and grew to the size of a silver dollar by the time it was last seen. The witness noted that three or four smaller objects, approximately one-fourth the size of the main body, appeared to drop from the main object, trailing red and blue exhaust similar to a 4th of July skyrocket, before quickly burning out. The main object was observed approaching from a 255-degree azimuth and descending slightly before disappearing into the clouds. The incident occurred between twilight and night. Military authorities conducted an investigation, noting that no radar installations in the vicinity detected any objects on their scopes and no aircraft were in the area at the time. The official conclusion reached by the Air Technical Intelligence Center (ATIC) was that the sighting was likely a meteor, citing that all characteristics of such an event were present.