Azores 39.34N 34.15W, September 1959September 1959

Insufficient Data

Summary

On the night of September 16, 1959, a military pilot over the Atlantic near the Azores, at about 39 degrees north and 34 degrees west, saw a fireball. The aircraft was a C-124 flying at about 18,000 feet, bound for Dover Air Force Base, Delaware.

The object was a white ball about the size of a penny at arm's length, trailing a long blue-green tail estimated at 1,000 to 2,000 feet. It first appeared diving toward earth at a speed slower than a falling star. It then burst into flames and broke apart at an estimated 12,000 feet, with orange flames. The sighting lasted about four seconds.

A second pilot in another aircraft also saw the object. The reporting pilot thought it was either a rocket or missile tearing apart, or a falling star. The Air Force concluded the speed, color, flight path, and breakup all indicated the observer saw a bright meteor entering the atmosphere. The card lists the case as astronomical, a meteor. This was part of Project 10073, the Air Force's official record for unidentified flying object reports.

Reported location

Azores 39.34N 34.15W, September 1959

Date of incident

September 1959

State / country

? / XX

Page count

5 scanned pages

USAF evaluation

unknown

Microfilm

T1206, Roll 36

Original case file scans

Original case file · scanned by NARAPage 1 of 5

View transcribed text

i {
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Ahi PROJECT 10073 RECORD CARD ¥
TT Ee ER FT FTV asa ro ee CH CHEN AL RR A SAP 1
1. DATE 2. LOCATION 12. CONCLUSIONS §
x iY Ate Maa O Was Balloon
iL5 Sep 59 nzZores 39.348 3, 15W 0 Probably Balloon H
ip re ee dee Ll Chl LL REE R DBA OTe IN fat i
3. DATE-TIME GROUP 4. TYPE OF OBSERVATION 0 Possitly Balloon
: ; d O Was Aircraft |
RT — 0 Ground- Visual 0 Ground-Radar 0 Probably Aircraft |
CMT 16/0115% B-Air Visual O Air-Intercept Radar | Possibly Aircroft | §
5. PHOTOS 6. SOURCE BX Was Astronomical Meteor :
O Yes O Probably Astronomical |
a No Military O Possibly Astronomical f
MRA op eae ee A MLRILBRY, f
7. LENGTH OF OBSERVATION 8. NUMBER OF OBJECTS | 9. COURSE 0 (0} yf 7 EA IR 0 TH
0 Insufficient Data for Evaluation
O Unknown
i appa one £41149 ne !
10. BRIEF SUMMARY OF SIGHTING 11. COMMENTS |
- on FAL o 3 ~ - - . ~ > 0 3 q |
Fireball w/ long Blue-green tail estimated wpeed auration,volor, flight rash,
Jat 1000-20008 1 ong. Ball white at base, First and disintegrati m all indicate that
’ appearcd diving toward earth & then burst the observer witnessed a bolide type
inbo flames & disintegrated, Flames orange in| of meteor as it entered the atmosphere.
color,
ATIC FORM 329 (REV 26 SEP $2)
. P) 1
]

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Source: National Archives Catalog · NAID 28984591