40 mi E Grand Junction, ColoradoSeptember 1960

Insufficient Data

Summary

A T-33 pilot flying east of Grand Junction, Colorado saw a bright object in the night sky in September 1960. The object appeared straight ahead at 30 degrees above the horizon and then disappeared to the left and rear at 25 to 15 degrees elevation. The pilot described the light as intense as an arc light. On the canopy surface in front of him, the object's tail appeared to be about 9 inches long.

The Air Force investigation noted that the pilot did not record the exact time or duration of the sighting, but both were apparently brief. The description, investigators concluded, matched a fireball type meteor. Nothing in the file contradicted this conclusion, so the case was listed as a meteor.

The file also contains a separate radar case from Kirksville Air Force Station in Missouri, dated September 20, 1960, only nine days earlier. This case involved three groups of objects painted on radar in trail formation. The first group appeared at 10,000 feet descending rapidly before contact was lost in weather at 8,000 feet. Two minutes later, four more objects appeared at 10,000 feet climbing, reaching 65,000 feet before radar contact ended. Five minutes after that, additional objects appeared at 70,000 feet and climbed off the top of the scope at 100,000 feet. Air Force investigators determined that the radar equipment was quite powerful and occasionally picked up reflections from weather conditions, particularly when warm moist air mixed with cold dry air. The appearance and disappearance of these targets, along with their extremely fast altitude changes, pointed to weather phenomena as the source. No similar reports came from other radar stations in the area that might have confirmed the sighting.

The full case file is reproduced below as held by the National Archives, comprising 10 pages.

Reported location

40 mi E Grand Junction, Colorado

Date of incident

September 1960

State / country

CO / US

Page count

10 scanned pages

USAF evaluation

unknown

Microfilm

T1206, Roll 40

MILITARY AIR PROJECT 10073 RECORD CARD 1. DATE 2. LOCATION 12. CONCLUSIONS 29 Sep 60 40 mi E Grand Junction, Colorado |D Woes Balloon i Ri coisas a Probably Bolloon 3. DATE-TIME GROUP 3. TYPE OF OBSERVATION W. Tovanmy. monn A TA ER ATS 0 Gmund- Visual 0 Ground-Rodar a Wos Aireratt 0 Probably Aircraft CT ERS AES Penni DO CR NE ISU SO XX Air Vial 0 Air-Intarcept Rodor O Possibly Aircraft 5. PHOTOS . SOURCE i{ Was Astronomical [lebeor a Yes Military 1 Probobly Astronomical : X Ne FALAGALDY O Possibly Astronemicol 7. LENGTH OF ORSERVATION 8. NUMBER OF OBJECTS | 9. COURSE 5 OI inion isms i sn 0 Insufficient Data for Evaluation not given one IT0W 0 Unknown ET A A oN 10. BRIEF SUMMARY OF SIGHTING 11. COMMENTS 7-33 pilot sighted bright cbject straight Witness did not report the duration of ahead at 30° elev that disappeared to left the sighting or the time, however it was rear %5° 22d 15° elev. A/c was heading 075°T. | probably of short duration and at night. Light intensity of object was similar to that Description conforms to observation of of an arc light. Tail of object was estimated | a fireball type meteor. There is no to be 9 inches long on the surface of the information conflicting with this con- canopy. clusion. Case listed as meteor. ATIC PORM 329 (REV 26 BEP 52) ar