31.45N 176.25W (Pacific), June 1963June 1963

Insufficient Data

Summary

On June 26, 1963, an aircraft crew over the Pacific Ocean northwest of Hawaii reported seeing a pinhead-sized white light at 20 degrees elevation (roughly 20 degrees above the horizon). The observation took place at coordinates 31.45N 176.25W, well out at sea. The object was heading northeast, on a course of approximately 130 degrees true. The crew provided minimal detail beyond these basic facts.

The Air Force's Project Blue Book system quickly labeled this a CIRVIS report, meaning a sighting by a military pilot that fell under formal reporting procedures. Telegrams circulated among naval intelligence, the Air Force's continental defense command, and the CIA on June 26. A correction was issued the same day clarifying that the report mentioned objects (plural) rather than a single object, though details remained sparse. One message noted that "no evaluation by Navy" had been made, and that "duration and other essential data" were missing from the report.

The Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory in Cambridge, Massachusetts, provided satellite prediction tables dated June 19, 1963, apparently to help determine whether the sighting might have been caused by an orbiting satellite. Those tables tracked two objects: satellite 1960-107A and satellite 1960-107A 2. However, no explicit conclusion linking the sighting to satellite activity appears in the available file pages.

The case file contains eight pages of declassified documents held by the National Archives.

Reported location

31.45N 176.25W (Pacific), June 1963

Date of incident

June 1963

State / country

? / XX

Page count

8 scanned pages

USAF evaluation

unknown

Microfilm

T1206, Roll 48

{ 3 | x : J PROJECT 10073 RECORD CARD At 4 1. DATE 2. LOCATION 4 12. CONCLUSIONS | ) i 0 Was Balloon 26 June 1963 81, 45N 176,25W (Pacific) |8 Liskablyoeiisen | 3. DATE-TIME GROUP 4. TYPE OF OBSERVATION hebibat 8nd had | ala TT 0 Ground-Visuol O Ground-Radar a Probably Alrdraft | GUS 28 /71040% © 0 XIX Air Visual 0 Air-Intercept Radar O Possibly Aircraft i 5. PHOTOS 8. SOURCE O Was Astronomical O Yes O Probably Astronomical No Military O Possibly Astronomical i 7. LENGTH OF OBSERVATION 8. NUMBER OF OBJECTS | 9. COURSE © Jo) 1 RSE RC CRE RX Insufficient Data for Evaluation ) O Unknown not reported one 130 dgr : 10. SRIEF SUMMARY OF SIGHTING 11. COMMENTS : : Pin head sized white light observed Echo not in area having crossed at 20dgr elevation fm a/c, Course the equator heading North East if 1 of 130dgr true. No other information. about one hour earlier at 23830 | No evaluation by Navy. East. Duration & other essential | data missing for evaluation, : ATIC FORM 329 (REV 26 SEP 52) i / | : ) \ \ )