Project 10073 Record — 2 April 1966 Sighting

On 2 April 1966, at 1053Z, a crew of six aboard a P3A aircraft (VP-49) observed an unidentified aerial phenomenon while flying an airway from Naha to Adak. The object was initially sighted as a motionless ball of fire at an altitude of 27,000 feet. It was described as having a brilliant white center with red and blue fringing at the trailing edge, creating a tear-drop shaped trail. Approximately four seconds after the initial observation, the object began a descent and broke into two jagged pieces, each roughly the size of a pea. These pieces continued to fall for approximately five seconds before fading from sight as they entered a haze layer below the aircraft. The pilot initially perceived the event as a possible exploding aircraft or a destructed missile. Fuchu Airways was contacted immediately to determine if any other air traffic was in the vicinity, but they reported no other traffic. Radar was operating on the aircraft and was used to attempt to track the object, but these efforts yielded negative results. The official conclusion recorded in the Project 10073 file is that the object was a probable meteor, noting that no satellite decays were reported on that date and that meteorite activity had been evaluated.