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Declassified UFO / UAP Document

Project 10073 Record Card and Correspondence — Annandale, Virginia, December 1963

📅 8 Dec 1963 📍 Annandale, Virginia 🏛 Foreign Technology Division 📄 Correspondence and Record Card
Project Blue BookAnnandaleVirginiameteorJ. Allen HynekUSAF

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AI-Generated Summary

TL;DR

A USAF pilot reported a red, oscillating object with a vapor trail in Annandale, Virginia, on December 8, 1963. Project Blue Book consultant Dr. J. Allen Hynek concluded the object was a meteor, with the visual anomalies caused by the setting sun.

This document details a UFO sighting reported by a USAF Lieutenant Colonel on December 8, 1963, in Annandale, Virginia. The witness, a command pilot with over 3,500 hours of flying time, observed an object moving through a 30-degree arc in approximately two seconds. The object was described as having a red glow that dimmed in intensity and a zig-zagging vapor trail that appeared to oscillate. The witness noted that the object appeared brighter than the North Star. The report includes a Project 10073 record card, a completed U.S. Air Force technical information questionnaire, and internal correspondence between the Foreign Technology Division and the Office of Information. The sighting was evaluated by Dr. J. Allen Hynek, a consultant to Project Blue Book and Professor of Astronomy at Northwestern University. Dr. Hynek concluded that the object was likely a meteor. He explained that while the oscillation and red color were unusual, they were consistent with a vapor trail being illuminated by the rays of the setting sun at dusk. The Air Force officially closed the case based on this analysis, noting that the estimated speed and arc distance were consistent with a meteor.

Dr. Hynek is of the opinion that the sighting was probably caused by a meteor. While unusual, vapor trails do appear to oscillate. A red trail is not as common as a white or blue-green trail, however, a redish trail can be accented at dusk by rays from the setting sun.

Official Assessment

Dr. Hynek is of the opinion that the sighting was probably caused by a meteor.

The sighting was determined to be a meteor. The unusual oscillation and red color were attributed to the vapor trail and the angle of the setting sun.

Witnesses

Key Persons

  • J. Allen HynekProfessor of Astronomy at Northwestern University, Director of Dearborn Observatory and USAF Consultant to Project Blue Book
  • Maston M. JacksMajor, USAF, Public Information Division, Office of Information
  • Eric T. de JonckheereColonel, USAF, Deputy for Technology and Subsystems

Organizations

Military Units