Lajes, Azores, February 1963February 1963

Insufficient Data

Summary

On February 20, 1963, at dawn, eight Air Police officers at Lajes Air Base in the Azores watched a pale white, grapefruit-sized object move across the sky. The sighting began at 0640 (6:40 a.m.) when Airman Second Class Paul K. Wilkinson first noticed the object northwest of the airstrip at a 75-degree angle of elevation (looking steeply upward). He kept it in view for five minutes as it traveled eastward in a wavy pattern before disappearing into cloud cover at the same steep angle. The other seven officers on duty confirmed his observation.

The object made no sound and left no trail or exhaust. Wilkinson reported clear skies with partial cloud cover at the time. Weather data from Lajes showed winds from 290 degrees (roughly west) at 30 knots at 12,000 feet, with a ceiling of 2,700 feet. The Air Force verified that no known military or civilian aircraft were in the area when the sighting occurred.

An Air Force reporting officer, Lieutenant Commander D. T. Lasowski, noted that winds at altitude were consistent with the object's easterly movement, and suggested the possibility of an unknown aircraft transiting the area. He also mentioned that the Horta Naval Station, 60 miles to the west, might have launched a balloon. The Air Force concluded the object was likely a balloon sighting.

The complete case file, comprising 7 pages as held by the National Archives, is reproduced below.

Reported location

Lajes, Azores, February 1963

Date of incident

February 1963

State / country

? / XX

Page count

7 scanned pages

USAF evaluation

unknown

Microfilm

T1206, Roll 47

Original case file scans

Original case file · scanned by NARAPage 1 of 7

View transcribed text

i

F

3 PROJECT 10073 RECORD CARD

4 l. DATE 2 LOCATION 12. CONCLUSIONS

a ; ge 3 KX XWas Balloon

- 20 February 1963 Lajes, Azores QO Probably Balicon

E 3. DATE-TIME GROUP 4 TYPE OF OBSERVATION 0 Possibly Balloon

he : % O Was Aircrofs

: ee MEG xGround-Vi sual 0 Ground-Radar Q Probably Aircraft

E GMT 20/ 06402 0 Air Visual (mn) Air-Intercept Radar |O Possibly Aircraft

E 5. PHOTOS - SOURCE O Was Astronomical

E 0 Yes O Probably Astronomical

E i No Milit ary [a] Possibly Astronomical

a 7. LENGTH OF OBSERVATION 8. NUMBER OF 0BJzCTs 9. COURSE o ROME
Ei 0 Insufficient Data for Evaluation
i us Ek [=] Unknown
a © minutes ong Easterly

BE '%. BRIEF SUMMARY OF SIGHTING 2 [11. CommENTS :

E “Rle white onject without trail or | Description & motion cn; Lorm to
pb Sound observed by eight mil itary balloon Sighting, Winds trop

F Personnel on dy ‘¥Y. Object at 75 dgr West at speed consisteni With

E elevation Nw of airst rip in Easterly this ana lysis, Possibili ty of
3 flight whieh aS described ag wavy, launch fron Horta Nava} Station
EL Sightis TOE meh WY pant ly 60 miles to wes { oR other loca-
4 ploudy at same elevation (45 gp). tion. Case evaluategq #8:.8. bal -
bE: 290" AL 10,000 ft wag 30 knots from loon Sighting,

bE ATIC FORM 329 (REV 25 S2P $9)
E . 3 5
4 ;
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EL

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Source: National Archives Catalog · NAID 29000286