Project Blue Book Case File
Johnson Is., Pacific, September 1961September 1961
Summary
On September 18, 1961, at about 1230Z (Greenwich time), the crew of a military patrol aircraft reported an object near Johnston Island in the Pacific. The report was filed on the Project 10073 record card, the Air Force's official record for unidentified flying object reports.
Several crew members described the object. The plane captain said it appeared about 80 miles away at an elevation of about 47 to 50 degrees, oblong in shape, white or bluish, and faster than a jet. About two and a half seconds after first sighting, sparks shot off the nose. The radar operator described a ball of fire, reddish orange, leaving a streak like sparks from an emery wheel. Other crew described red sparks and a burst of light. The object kept a constant course and speed but rapidly lost altitude before vanishing over the horizon. It was in view for about 3 to 5 seconds.
The Air Force concluded the object was a meteor.
Reported location
Johnson Is., Pacific, September 1961
Date of incident
September 1961
State / country
? / XX
Page count
4 scanned pages
USAF evaluation
unknown
Microfilm
T1206, Roll 43