Meredith, New HampshireJuly 1962

On the evening of July 10, 1962, a 14-year-old amateur astronomer in Meredith, New Hampshire, was setting up his telescope to observe Venus when he noticed an unusual object in the twilight sky. He watched it for about 40 seconds before it disappeared behind a nearby tree. The object appeared gray-brown in color, had sharply outlined edges, and was slightly smaller than a pea held at arm's length. What caught his attention most was its shape: it looked like an aircraft, but with a fin pointing backward instead of forward, as though the plane were flying in reverse.

The teenager observed the object first with his naked eye, then immediately focused his 45-power telescope on it. He described it as solid and moving steadily across the sky without changing speed, brightness, or shape. His father, who was present, also saw the object. The observer noted that there was no sound, scattered clouds, and little wind. He estimated the object moved from roughly west to west-northwest across the sky, staying at about 13 degrees above the horizon throughout the sighting.

The Air Force conducted its analysis by comparing the witness's description to known aircraft. The case file notes that the object's unusual appearance, with the reversed fin, could be explained if a conventional aircraft was banked or turning at a steep angle when observed. From certain angles, such an aircraft's wing and tail surfaces would appear differently than normal, potentially creating the backward-fin effect the teenager described. The file concludes that the sighting was probably an aircraft seen under these special viewing conditions.

The full case file, consisting of 15 pages as held by the National Archives, is reproduced below.