PROJECT 10073 RECORD CARD 1. DATE ' 2 . LOCATION 11. CONCLUSIONS 0 Was Balloon 9 lh r 61 Chanute AFB, Illinoi s 0 Probably Balloon .Local 1800 JJ Ground Visual 5 . PHOTOS SOURcE 0 Grounrl-Fhdc r 0 Alr-lnterc.,pt Radar 0 Wru A i rcroft 0 Probably Aircr~ft 0 Po ssi bl y AI reraft 0 Was Astronomical D Yes 0 Probobly Astronomical Mil 't 0 Possibly Astronomical Mi~inte~re~atio~of 7. LENGTH OPI.OBSERYATION I. NUMBER OF OBJECTS 9. COURSE ~ Other lrl:fll . .,lO.l: OOJ 0 Insufficient Data for Evaluation 0 Unlcnown 10. BAlE, SUMMARY Of SIGHTING Round, bright white Ob-11. COMMEN1sLow fast rr.oving scud, bright l jete, size of basketball . Pulled up gradua.llJII,stars shining throug!l the overcast: ex- straight and l evel. Disappeared behind build-tensive air traffic a nd irreg~ar holdi~g ing. Various r.lal'leuvers. flight po.th of one C-47 probably all ' contributed t o sighting. ATJC I'ORM 329 (REV 26 IEP 52) CZCSQE7192CYYC218 DE RJEDNU 96 - FM CHANUTE TECH TNG CEN ATC CHANUTE AFB ILL TO RJWFAL/ADC ENT AFB COLO RJEDSQ/ATIC WPAFB OHIO ~ RJEZHQ/HQ USAF WASH 25 DC RJEZHQ/SEC OFVAF WASH 25 DC UNCLAS OSD 56C AFCIN SAFIS SUBJECT UFO SIGHTING. L~O SIGHTING REPORTED THIS BASE BY FIVE MILITARY MEM~ERS. AT ~e312 II MARCH 61. INVESTIGATION REVEALS SATISFACTORY EXPLANATION OF PHENOMENA. LETTER REPORT TO FOLLOW IN ACCORDANCE WITH AFR 200-2 AND 2A. IMMEDIATE ATTENTION REQUIRED. 10/2242Z ~AR RJEDNU CZCSQE658ZCNUA812 DE OHJEDNU 82 FM CHANUTE TECH TNG CEN ATC CHANUTE AFB ILL TO RJWFAL/ADCOENT AFB COLO RJEDSQ/ATIC WPAFB OHIO RJEZHQ/HQ USAF WASH.D C RJ~Z~Q/OSAF WASH D C UNCLAS OSD 58C. SECTION ONE Of TWO ACTION SAFS AND AFCIN HQ USAF REFERENCY MY UNCLASSIFIED PRIORITY MESSAGE SUBJECT: UFO 10 MARCH 61. FOLLOWING REPORT SUBMITTED IAW PAR 15 AFR 200-2: A. DESCRIPTION OF OBJECT OBSERVER-1 WATERMELON (2) GRAPEFRUIT BASKETBALL PEA BASKETBALL (3) BRIGHT WHITE -~ BRIGHT WHITE SILVER BLUE WHITE PAGE TWO RJEDNU 82 I (7) NONE LANDING LIGHT B. DESCRIPTION OF COURSE . Cl) FIRST OBSERVERI.CASUALL NOTICED OBJECT WHILE LOOKING OUT NORTH GATEHOUSE W\NDOW. SECOND OBSERVER& FIRST OBSERVER CALLED HIS ATTENTION TO OBJECT FROM SAME LOCATION. THIRD OBSERVER& CASUALL OBSERVED OBJECT IFROM DOORWAY OF EAST GATEHOUSE. FOURTH OBSERVER& WAS TELEPHONED AT WEST GATHOUSE BY THIRD OBSERV~R. ( (2) STATIONARY, BANKED DESCENDING DESCENDING (3) PULLED UP GRADUALLY STRAIGHT AND LEVEL STRAIGHT AND LEVEL. DESCENDED BEHIND BUILDING PAGE THREE RJEDNU 82 OBSERVER 1 . . - ( 4) BANKJ:;U ANJJ s lAr lONAKY JJ.l:.Sl:.t.lUJLNli GLLlJ~ BACKED UP LEVELED OFF BACKED UP, STRAIGHT AND LEVEL GLIDE FORWARD PULLED UP GRADUALLY MOVED FORWARD, STRAIGHT AND LEVEL STRAIGHT AND LEVEL DESCENDED BEHIND BUILDING OUT (5) GRADUALLY SW INSTANTANEOUS W FADED OUT DESCENDING E c. MANNER OF OBSERVATION . Cl> GROUND VISUAL GROUND VISUAL ~ROUND VISUAL GROUND VISUAL D. TIME AND DATE OF SIGHTING E. LOCATION OF OBSERVERS PAGE FOUR RJEDNU 82 (1) NORTH GATE NORTH GATE EAST GATE WEST GATE F. OBSERVERS (1> JCSPH FRANCIS GUENTHER JR A3C 33~5!H ABGP CHANUTE AFB (2) MARVIN WHITE WHITFIELD A3C 3345TH ABGP CHANUTE AFB (3) JOHN ANTHONY PADDOCK A3C 3345TH ABGP CHANUTE AFB (4) BENJAMIN NMI JONES JR A3C 33~5TH ABGP CHANUTE AFB Ge OBSERVERS! . .... OVCST OCC SNOW FRIDAY OVCST CALM OVCST CCC SNOti FLURRY OVCST CALM (3> 23,,Z. M. 2' BROKEN 2 MILES VIS LIGHT SNOW SHOWERS OOlOZ M 35 BROKEN 7 MILES VIS 0035Z M "2 BROKEN 7 MILES VIS 0056Z M "7 BROKEN 7 MILES VIS PAGE FIVE RJEDNU 82 (4) SEE (3) ABOVE (7) SFC TO 3500 PLUS MINUS 0 10000 TO TROPOPAUSE STANDARD H. THE 196t AIR AL~ANAC INDICATES VZNSU AS TH BRIGHTEST STAR FOR THIS MONTH. VENUS WAS 275-280 DEGREES TRU AZIMUTH 20-25 DEGREES FROM HORIZON REFERENCE. ADDITIONALLY, THERE WAS A WARM, DRY SUBSIDENCE INVERSibN FROM 3500' TO 12000' AT THE APPROXIMATE J. RAOB SCHEDULED FROM PEORIA ILLINOIS INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT OOOOZ. TRUE BEARING,2SO DEGREES, 70 NM . K. CHIEF, BASE TRAINING DIVISION. IT IS MY OPINION THAT THE ACTUAL SIGHTING TOOK PLACE BETWEEN OOOOZ AND 00102. INTERVIEWS WITH OBSERVERS 1,3, AND ' 'WERE ALL PAt:AND APPEARED TO ME SOMEWHAT REHEARSED. OBSERVER 2 WAS ON K.P. AND DID'NOT HAVE THE OPPORTUNITY. TO. REHEARs HIS ANSWERS 15/21062 MAR RJEDNU C G7&-5ZCN Dt--RJEDU 8'1 R 1517JiiZ FM CHANUTE TECH TNG CEN ATC CHANUTE AFB ILL TO RJWFAL/ADC ENT AFB COLO RJEDSQ/ATIC WPAFB OHIP RJE2HQ/HQ USAF WASH D C RJEZHQ/OSAF WASH D C UNCLAS OSD58C. FINAL SECTION OF TWO. HE REMEMBERED THE TOWN SIREN SOUNDING AT 0i~IZ JUST PRIOR TO THE : SIGHTING. ALSO, THE OTHER OBSERVERS PLACE THE SIGHTING AS JUST AFTER AN INTENSE SNOW FLURRY AND PRIOR TO A SHORTER SNOW FtURRY. THESE SNOW FLURRIES OCCURED AT APPROXIMATE TIME INTERVALe I PLACE THE SIGHTING IN AT THIS TIME INTERVAL A BASE T-33, NUMBER 714 WAS EXECUTING A PENETRATION AND GCA PICKUP. TRANSIENT C-47 016 WAS ATTEMPTING TO ENTER A TECTANGULAR PATTERN IN THE EXACT AREA OF THE SIGHTING. THE C-47 WAS TOLD BY THE TOWER TO HOLD IN THE NW QUADRANT CTHE AREA OF SIGHTING> UNTIL THE T-33 COMPLETED ITS PAGE TwO RJEDNU 83 APPROACH. IT IS MY OPINION THAT INITIALLY THE C-47 LANDING OBSERVER. THEN THE T-3J APPEARED FROM THE OVERCAST WITH GEAR DOWN AND LANDING LIGHT ON~ AS THE GLIDE PATH WAS ENTERED, THE FLAP APPEARED TO CAUSE THE AIRCRAFT TO HOVER MOMENTARILY. THE WARM DRY SUBSIDENCE INVERSION FROM 3501 FEET TO 12e11 FEET COULD HAVE CAUSED SOME BENDING OF THE IMAGE FURTHER DISTORTING THE "APPARENT" PHENOMENA OF A UFO. THE SISSAPPEARANCE DESCRIPTION OF EACH OBSERVER ALL GENERALL AGREE IN DESCRIBING A PHASE OF A GCA OR MISSED APPROACH. FUTHiR, THE TERMS PHENOMENA FOR THAT EVENING WAS MISINTERPRTED BY AN EXPERIENCED FIELD GRADE PILOT AS AN AIRCRAFT PERFORMING NIGHT AEROBATICS. THE LOW, FAST MOVING SCUD CREATED THIS APPARENT MOVEMENT AND IT WAS ONLY AFTER CLIMBING ON TOP THAT THE IP, A FORE- CASTER OF 12 YEARS EXPERIENCE COULD CONVINCE HIM IT WAS IN FACT VENUS. IT WAS FURTHER REVEALED IN INTERVIEWS THAT A DISCUSSION FOLLOWED THE SIGHTING, BEFORE IT WAS INITIALLY REPORTED. FEARING RIDICULE THEY ADMITTED "TALKING IT OVER. IT IS ALSO SIGNIFICANT SIX AIRCRAFT SHOT GCA LOW APPROACHES AND/OR LANDINGS BETWEEN 235~z~AND 0i54z. SEVERAL OF THESE. WERE MULTIPLE APPROACHES. IT IS MY CONCLUSION THAT THE LOW, FAST MOVING SCUD, BRIGHT STARS PAGE THREE RJEDNU 83 SHINING THROUGH THE BROKEN OVERCAST, EXTENSIVE TRAFFIC AND THE IRREGULAR HOLDING FLIGHT PATH OF THE C-47 IN THE NW QUADRANT EACH HlD /OR ALL CONI RI 9U TED TO r :-tE .~ LLEG E:D SIGHTING. NEITHER THE TOWER TRICK CHIEF OR GCA HAD ANY UNUSUAL INCIDENTS TO REPORT FOR THIS DATE.