14.27N 69.57E (Indian Ocean), June 1963June 1963

Insufficient Data

Summary

On June 15, 1963, an observer in the Indian Ocean at coordinates 14.27 degrees North, 69.57 degrees East saw a luminous disc. The object appeared at an elevation of 30 degrees in the sky, bearing 325 degrees true from the observer's position. The disc descended while traveling eastward and remained visible for three to four minutes.

The object gave the appearance of a bright light behind a cloud layer. When it passed through an area where there were no clouds, its appearance did not change. According to the case file, the object appeared to be moving faster than Echo, an early artificial satellite launched in 1960.

An Echo satellite was observed in the same area approximately 30 minutes after the initial sighting. The Air Force's initial evaluation listed the sighting as "unidentified." However, the case summary on the first page of the file ultimately concludes that the sighting was "probably balloon," though no detailed explanation of this conclusion appears in the readable portions of the file.

The full case file is reproduced below as held by the National Archives, totaling 8 pages.

Reported location

14.27N 69.57E (Indian Ocean), June 1963

Date of incident

June 1963

State / country

? / XX

Page count

8 scanned pages

USAF evaluation

unknown

Microfilm

T1206, Roll 48

Original case file scans

Original case file · scanned by NARAPage 1 of 8

View transcribed text

é - ; ; : ’
ae PROJECT 10073 RECORD CARD js |
5 i re EARL : {
|v DATE 2. LOCATION 12. CONCLUSIONS
0 Wos Ball |
: 15 June 1963 14.278 69.5TE (Indian Ocean) 0 Probably Balloon

I | oateTimEcRouP [4 TYPE OF OBSERVATION |D Pessibly Belleen |
1 FC Le Rn Sa TS AS SAN p33] Ground: Visual O Ground-Radar 8 5 Rall |

| 8 emt_15/153972 0 Air Visuol O Air-Intercept Radar 0 Possibly Aircraft |

| |S PHOTOS - SOURCE |o Was Astronomical |

| 8 O Yes O Probably Astronomical

| YE Ne civilian O Possibly Astronomical

I | 7. LENGTH OF OBSERVATION 8. NUMBER OF OBJECTS | 9. COURSE a] Othe INI DENTIRIZD —— — Red
F 18 nut icient Data for Evaluation
| | 3-b minutes | one - NE Hel |
§  |10. BRIEF SUMMARY OF SIGHTING hy : 11. COMMENTS ; |
' | Luminous disc at 30 deg elevation bearing 325 |
! | deg true from observed. Descended traveling UNIDENTIFIED, |
* | in an Easterly direction for duration of 3-L |
| min. Appeared to be moving faster than ECHO.
* | Gave appearance of being a bright light behind |
¢ | 2 cloud. Passed through area without clouds an |
| appearance did not change. ECHO observed 30 mi
¢ | later.
] ATIC FORM 329 (REV 26 SEP 51) |

fo 2
q : 4 -

/

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Source: National Archives Catalog · NAID 29001136