Ladd AFB, AlaskaDecember 1958

Insufficient Data

Summary

On December 1, 1958, military observers at Ladd Air Force Base, Alaska, reported a brief object in the morning sky. A pilot acting as intelligence officer made the report.

The object was about the size of a pinhead and left a white trail. As the sun was coming up in the east, the trail appeared to be fluorescent for about one second. The object was at extremely high altitude, about 32 degrees up from the horizon. It moved from west to east in a straight line. The trail appeared to evaporate instantly. The sighting lasted about one second.

The weather was clear with winds from the northeast. The division intelligence officer believed the object was a meteor rather than a satellite, because of its speed and short sighting. He noted it appeared too high to be the Delta satellite and the time did not match the satellite's expected passage. The Air Force concluded the object was astronomical, a meteor.

Reported location

Ladd AFB, Alaska

Date of incident

December 1958

State / country

AK / US

Page count

3 scanned pages

USAF evaluation

unknown

Microfilm

T1206, Roll 34

Original case file scans

Original case file · scanned by NARAPage 1 of 3

View transcribed text

PROJECT 10073 RECORD CARD :
1. DATE 2. LOCATION 12. CONCLUSIONS
: ; BRIA 0 Was Balloon
. 1 Dec ember LUO 5 Ladd A Rid Alaska a Probably Balloon
3. DATE-TIME GROUP A TYPE OF OBSERVATION D Possibly Balloon
; 0 Was Aircraft
Local REET 0:Ground- Visual [3 Ground-Radar 0 Probably Aircraft
i PTE SCE WAR SEALS YS Q Air Visual Wo Rar Peachy Aircraft
5. "PHOTOS 6. SOURCE 0 Was Astronomical oor
0 Yes 0 Probably Astronomical
0 No Military D Possibly Astronomical
7. LENGTH OF OBSERVATION 8. NUMBER OF OBJECTS | % COURSE 0 Other eee
; O Insufficient Duta tor Evaluation
0 Unknown
1 szcond one _ W to 2 Tr
lio. BRIEF SUMMARY OF SIGHTING 11. COMMENTS
Obj size O f pinhend w/white tra aid Description is O f a meteor.
which appeared to he fluorescent fox
a second and evaporate d instantly.
Obj was at ex tremely high alt.
ATIC FORM 329 (REV 26 SEP 52)
[J]
By ERR A SURE Cate UTTER PERE LIN SU EATS NCT A RAPT SE SIRRY

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Source: National Archives Catalog · NAID 28981201