Declassified UFO / UAP Document
Project 10073 Record Card: Sighting near Donaldsonville, Louisiana, 17 October 1962
Ever wanted to host your own late-night paranormal radio show?
Across the Airwaves
You're on the air. Callers bring Mothman, Fresno Nightcrawlers, UFO sightings, reptilian autopsies, and whispers about AATIP and Project Blue Book. Every reply shapes how the night goes.
AI-Generated Summary
A Coast Guard crew reported a celestial phenomenon with vapor trails over Louisiana on October 17, 1962. The Air Force evaluated the sighting as a probable missile launch.
On October 17, 1962, at 1119Z, personnel aboard the Coast Guard Cutter White Alder, anchored in the Mississippi River near Donaldsonville, Louisiana, observed a celestial phenomenon. The object appeared over the eastern horizon as a brilliant white, circular light. It descended to an elevation of approximately 30 degrees and performed a ragged circular maneuver, leaving behind significant white vapor trails. The object subsequently disappeared while traveling south on an incline of approximately 50 degrees at a high rate of speed. The weather conditions at the time included 8 miles of visibility with broken cloud banks. The incident was reported via teletype to various military commands, including CINCNORAD and the Air Force. An evaluation by ATIC concluded that while no missile launches were officially scheduled for that time, the characteristics of the sighting—specifically the appearance and the vapor trails—were consistent with a missile launch. Consequently, the case was classified as a probable missile.
Since obj sighted was characteristic of a missile launch observation, the case is evaluated as probable missile.
PDF not loading? Download the PDF directly
Official Assessment
Since obj sighted was characteristic of a missile launch observation, the case is evaluated as probable missile.
The sighting was evaluated as a probable missile launch, despite no scheduled launches being confirmed for that time, as the report did not contain all launches and the object's characteristics matched a missile launch observation.