80 Mi E Of U. S., August 1959August 1959

Insufficient Data

Summary

In August 1959, radar operators at Otis Air Force Base in Massachusetts detected seven separate blips on their radar screens during a single night. The blips appeared to be about one inch long and one sixteenth of an inch wide, making them roughly two to three times the size of a C-124 cargo aircraft on the radar display. The operators estimated the objects were traveling at speeds between 3,000 and 7,800 miles per hour. Each sighting lasted about one minute, and they were tracked heading in different directions: 380 degrees, 180 degrees, 250 degrees, and 060 degrees. During the final sighting, two blips appeared one behind the other, then both vanished from the radar screen at exactly the same moment.

The radar operators who made the observations were experienced professionals assigned to the 581st Aircraft Control and Warning Squadron. Weather conditions at the time were reported as clear skies. The Air Force's technical intelligence center at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base reviewed the case and agreed with the radar operators' own assessment: the blips had likely been caused by atmospheric conditions or anomalous propagation, a weather-related radar effect that can create false signals. The case was evaluated as anomalous propagation rather than as unknown objects.

The full case file, including detailed radar logs and technical analysis, is reproduced below as held by the National Archives across 8 pages.

Reported location

80 Mi E Of U. S., August 1959

Date of incident

August 1959

State / country

? / XX

Page count

8 scanned pages

USAF evaluation

unknown

Microfilm

T1206, Roll 36

Original case file scans

Original case file · scanned by NARAPage 1 of 8

View transcribed text

1
E
E WEEE Com Tl PROJECT 10073 RECORD CARD Hiss i
1 1. DATE 2. LOCATION 12. CONCLUSIONS
§ | O Was Balioon
1 19 Aug 59 80 mi Boop U.3, SERA A)
3. DATE-TIME GROUP 4. TYPE OF OBSERVATION peal Eh MEL
: [1501 [Bt Ce 0 SONS Oh yt S0 0 Ground-Visual 0 Ground-Radar a Ble an |
3 GMT 19/20372 0 Air Visual OX Air-Intercept Radar O Possibly Aircraft
1 5. PHOTOS 6. SOURCE : O Was Astronomical
i O Yes 40 Probably Astronomical
1 “1 No | Military o eh a be LL
1 7. LENGTH OF OBSERVATION § NUMBER OF OBJECTS | 9. COURSE ‘0; OtheronQmolong —po-e ||
O Insufficient Data for Evaluation] |
i 0 Unknown
4 1 min each 7 sightings blips
E 10. BRIEF SUMMARY OF SIGHTING 11. COMMENTS |
E Seven separate sightings of blips on Rade: Ixperienced radar operator believed
E ‘1 1" in length & 1/16 th jich in width blips due to weather interference.
E observed Go be approx 2-3 times the size Radar analysis at FTD concurs w/balief
i of a C-124 afc. Speeds estimated fm 3,000 of operator, Case evaluated as
1 ope 7800 Liles Each Fie sighted Hon anomalous, propogation.
= L min each, Final sighting two blips were
3 noted w/ sume characterigtioes, These were
; in trail, All blips disappeared instantane-
E ously. :
E ATIC FORM 329 (REV 26 SEP 52)
k . 3 L]
EE -
¥ .
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Source: National Archives Catalog · NAID 28984219