Brooklyn, New YorkMarch 1963

Unidentified

Summary

On the evening of March 31, 1963, a pilot flying south from Brooklyn, New York spotted something in the sky that caught their attention. The aircraft appeared to be moving with what looked like lights arranged in a circle. The lights reminded the pilot of a floating mine at first glance. The whole object seemed as large as a DC-4 airplane from nose to tail, though the lower half was hard to make out. The circular lights were bright compared to the rest of the object, and they seemed to move like the marquee lights on a theater sign. The pilot heard a sound similar to an aircraft flying high overhead. As the object moved from left to right in a southwesterly direction, then returned on the same path, the pilot heard the sound grow louder.

The brief comments filed with the case suggest the sighting matched the characteristics of an aircraft trailing an advertising banner of lights. Local aircraft flight records for that date were not readily available to confirm, but the object fell within the known capabilities of conventional aircraft and did not appear to pose any threat to U.S. security.

The Air Force evaluated this sighting as unidentified. The case file is reproduced below as held by the National Archives in 24 scanned pages from microfilm T1206, Roll 47.

Reported location

Brooklyn, New York

Date of incident

March 1963

State / country

NY / US

Page count

24 scanned pages

USAF evaluation

unidentified

Microfilm

T1206, Roll 47

Original case file scans

Original case file · scanned by NARAPage 1 of 24

View transcribed text

ne EE i Re Ss hee mE 5 rt cetera
A
BE PROJECT 10073 RECORD CARD 4 |
4 1. DATE 2. LOCATION 12. CONCLUSIONS

FE Se : O Wos Balloon

4 31 March 1963 Brooklyn, New York O Probably Balloon

A 3. DATE-TIME GROUP | 4 TYPE OF OBSERVATION Easy TE ERE BON

: Loc U30-2035/2050-2100 MX Ground- Visual O Ground-Radar Hi md I

9 GMT 01/0130Z Apr i 0 Air Visual 0 Air-Intercept Radar O Possibly Aircraft

1 5. PHOTOS 3 6. SOURCE 0 Was Astronomical

BE a Yes u] Probably Astronomical

9 £XNo Civilian O Possibly Astronomical

o 7. LENGTH OF OBSERVATION 8. NUMBER OF OBJECTS | 9. COURSE O Other

3 : 5 : O Insufficient Dota for Evaluation
E 1. Oo minutes O Unknown

PE __ 2, 10 minutes dd NE © y 0 (= Yaa Sia SWISS NE cy] FSR dH a re CO em SOY
2 10. BRIEF SUMMARY OF SIGHTING 11. COMMENTS

: A/C sighted going 5W with what appearpd Sighting has all characteristic
4 to be lights forming a circle, Lower of a/c with advertising banner
E than a commercial plane would fly and of lights, Check of local

E at about 1/3 speedo, First impression flights at this date not feas-
2 was that obj looked like a floating ible as the obj is within

3 mine. Obj was as larze as DC-4 fm present capabilities of conven-
3 nose to tail w/lower half of obj vague, tional a/c & does not present

: Circles of lights around center appeared 3 threat to security of the U.S
4 to be moving as in a theatre markee,

- Lights large in comparison to remainder

] of obj. Sound similar to a/c flying

: very high, Lights moveq fm lef o

: Ficht on SW Tight" 8 FPR t2 Tet? on return, :
ATIC FORM 329 (REV 26 SEP 52)

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Source: National Archives Catalog · NAID 29000516