Project 10073 Record: UFO Sighting, 20 August 1965

On August 20, 1965, at approximately 2126Z, a significant aerial incident occurred near Plattsburgh Air Force Base, New York. Major Harry Hutton, a command pilot with 20 years of active duty and 4,000 flight hours, observed an unidentified object while using Japanese field artillery binoculars. The object was described as a round, flat, disc-shaped craft, approximately 15 to 20 feet in diameter, with a bright, metallic, bluish appearance. The object was observed for three minutes, during which it performed high-speed, erratic circling maneuvers with a radius of approximately one-half mile, near the base of clouds at an altitude of 4,500 feet. Following these maneuvers, the object accelerated rapidly to the East at an estimated speed of Mach 1.5 to 2. Simultaneously, the Ground Controlled Approach (GCA) radar at Plattsburgh AFB experienced isolated, high-intensity jamming. This jamming was centered in the northwest quadrant of the radar, approximately 15 to 20 miles from the site, and ceased upon the object's departure. The official evaluation concluded that the visual characteristics and the associated radar jamming were consistent with an aircraft utilizing electronic countermeasures (ECM). The reporting officer, 1st Lt. David C. Norton, noted that the reliability of the source and the specific nature of the radar interference indicated that an unusual phenomenon had occurred in the area.