Goose Bay, Labrador, February 1956February 1956

Insufficient Data

Summary

On February 13, 1956, two F-85D fighter jets were flying a routine training mission about 49 miles southeast of Goose Bay, Labrador. One pilot saw a glowing object that quickly circled his aircraft. The pilot reported the lights were about three-quarters of a mile away, with a predominately green color and flashing red. He watched it for roughly one minute.

The object appeared on radar screens in both aircraft. The pilot's plane was traveling at 263 knots and flying at 22,222 feet when the sighting happened. About 15 minutes later, radar operators on the ground near Goose Bay spotted an object on their screens about 3 miles south of the base. The object showed no movement. Fighters were directed toward the radar target and made radar contact, but the signal faded and disappeared when the aircraft came within 8 miles. The weather at the time was clear with 28 miles of visibility and ice crystals in the air.

An engineer at the Air Force's Foreign Technology Division reviewed the incomplete report and cast doubt on the sighting. The engineer noted that it seemed illogical for a genuine radar target to fade and disappear as the fighter jets approached it. Normally, a real target would return a stronger signal as aircraft got closer to it, not weaker. No follow-up evaluation was completed. The full case file, seven pages as held by the National Archives, is reproduced below.

Reported location

Goose Bay, Labrador, February 1956

Date of incident

February 1956

State / country

? / XX

Page count

7 scanned pages

USAF evaluation

unknown

Microfilm

T1206, Roll 24

’ 1 2 PROJECT 10073 RECORD CARD $) | : 1. DATE 2. LOCATION 12. CONCLUSIONS bi O Was Bolloon ] 56 Goose Bay, Labrador O Probably Balloon 1 3. DATE-TIME GROUP 4. TYPE OF OBSERVATION Erna sHbly, Dolieon 3 lo Cal sl Ce ie 0 Ground-Visual O Ground-Radar a Probably Aircraft . Ei GMa DPR DZGRN XX Air Visual XX Air-Intercept Radar O Possibly Aircraft 1 5. PHOTOS 4. SOURCE O Was Astronomical ¢ DO Yes 0 Probably Astronomical : | © 3KNe Military O Passibly Astroromical : | 7. LENGTH OF OBSERVATION 8. NUMBER OF OBJECTS | 9. COURSE 0, Othe UNIDENTIFIED } ; 0 Insufficient Data for Evaluation : : EX Unknown 1 one minute one unknown : | 10. BRIEF SUMMARY OF SIGHTING 11. COMMENTS : | ; rl ) } | E One object color green with red, No additional info on follow- : 3 rapidly circled a/c also radar contact, up report, UNIDENTIFIED. : 1 15 minutes later, radar contact again : 3 no movement and as a/c closed on objeqgt Ea at 8 miles distant, it faded out. Follow Eo ! up report to come, : b 3] 3] : | ATIC FORM 329 (REV 26 SEP 52) f J ; .