Foreman, ArkansasMay 1962

Insufficient Data

Summary

On the evening of May 3, 1962, a civilian observer and her father in Foreman, Arkansas, saw a bright object moving in the eastern sky. The witness initially thought it was a satellite, but quickly realized it was not. The object moved too fast and too jerkily to be a satellite, she reported. The light appeared white and was visible for about one to two minutes before it dimmed, brightened once more, and then went black.

The sighting occurred roughly 35 minutes after local sunset, according to Air Force records. The observer noted that the object seemed to move away from her position and climb slightly higher in the sky as it went. During its passage, the light changed brightness more than once, an unusual trait for a satellite or aircraft.

The Air Force investigated the report in May 1962, following standard procedures. Investigators noted that weather conditions in the area that time of year often include scattered showers. The base information officer, Lieutenant Colonel W. E. Matthews, suggested in the official report that the sighting may have been a reflection of the sun off a high-flying aircraft, since the event took place shortly after sunset when sunlight at altitude would still be strong even though ground-level darkness had begun. The case file indicates no known balloon releases occurred near Foreman at the time of the sighting. The Air Force's final evaluation listed the sighting as "unknown."

The full case file, consisting of 14 pages as reproduced from National Archives microfilm T1206, Roll 45, appears below.

Reported location

Foreman, Arkansas

Date of incident

May 1962

State / country

AR / US

Page count

14 scanned pages

USAF evaluation

unknown

Microfilm

T1206, Roll 45

- ia PROJECT 10073 RECORD CARD : I. DATE 2. LOCATION [12. conclusions E 1 Woes Balloon 3 May 1962 Foreman, Arkansas 1 Probably Balioon CT TT EE rp TE RSE Tere Depry oe TT a a Ee PR SDS OA EAST [8] Possi biy Balloon 3. DATE-TIME GROUP 4. TYPE OF OBSERVATION : ? 5 : 0 Was Aircraft Hi es ee @ Ground- Visual 8 Ground-Radar 1 Probably Aircraft 3 [= oR 7 8 NY ARNIS Se 0 Air Visual 0 Air-Intarcept Radar 3 Possibly Aircraft 5. PHOTOS 8. SOURCE : 7 Was Astronomical a Yes 0 Probably Astronomical 1 No Civilian 0 Possibly Asyonomical 7. LENGTH OF O3SERYATION 8. NUMBER OF OBJECTS | 9. COURSE an 1] [| EER A HA A REIS 0 lasufficient Data for Evaivation PY E 0 Unknown min a | 10. BRIEF SUMMARY OF SIGHTING Bright bjt in sight L-§1)- COMMENTS Sihcine took place afbos | in going away fm observer and increasing in sunset. Possible reflectionéZ wn Me altitude slightly. With white light that : looked like satellite only moved too fast and jerkey. Light dimmed once, brightened and hen blacked out. ATIC FORM 329 (REV 26 SEP 52) Ld