over Fairfield, UtahApril 1956

Insufficient Data

Summary

On April 16, 1956, an Air Force pilot reported one object near Fairfield, Utah, at about 1950 (7:50 p.m.). The pilot was flying a T-33 at 37,000 feet on a night flight. The report was filed under Project 10073, the Air Force's official record for unidentified flying object reports.

The object had no clear outline or features and looked about the size of a baseball at arm's length. It changed color from blue to white in no set pattern. It was first taken for a blinking light and then thought to be another aircraft. The object appeared at about 40,000 feet on an azimuth of about 290 degrees. It moved erratically, both up and down within a small area, with no set path. The pilot watched it for about 25 minutes, ruling out cockpit reflections.

The Air Force concluded the object was probably the planet Venus. The record said a star almanac showed Venus near the reported position and noted that a bright body viewed at high altitude through a windshield can appear to dance, due to slight movement of the aircraft.

Reported location

over Fairfield, Utah

Date of incident

April 1956

State / country

UT / US

Page count

4 scanned pages

USAF evaluation

unknown

Microfilm

T1206, Roll 25

Original case file scans

Original case file · scanned by NARAPage 1 of 4

View transcribed text

4 - | (a
| hoe fo PROJECT 10073 RECORD CARD ERR
1. DATE 2. LOCATION 12. CONCLUSIONS
4 ver OD Wos Balloon
16 April 1956 airfield, Utah DO Probably Balloon
b 3. DATE-TIME GROUP 4. TYPE OF OBSERVATION —|O Possibly Balloon
i Local —_— 0 Ground- Visual 0 Ground-Radar 8 RSG (OE
1 GMT XAir Visual O Air-Intercept Radar O Possibly Aircroft
4 5. PHOTOS » SOURCE Was Astronomical VENUS
OYes indi 5 OD Probably Astronomical
MXo ilitary AF Pilot D Possibly Astronomicol
: 7. LENGTH OF OBSERVATION 8. NUMBER OF OBJECTS | 9. COURSE J SA Pe ARE
i 3 [pauthisiont Data for Evaluation
approx 25 minutes one erratic dod
10. BRIEF SUMMARY OF SIGHTING 11. COMMENTS : ‘
1 One object, no discernible outline or|Copy of preliminary rpt attached,
J features, about the size of a base- Due to the duraton of the sight-
ball held at arm's length, Changed coying, the position of the UFOB as
: lors fm blue to white periodically. [compared w/the position of *Venus
First appeared to be, & identified as|at the time of the sighting, the
1 a blinking light. The object appeared|colors of the obj & the circum-
: to be at 40,000 feet on an azimuth of| stances of the sighting; the obj |
1 *290 dgrs. Obj appeared to have an in question was probably the
i erratic course in the West, planet Venus, |
{ *ATIC Comment: Star Almanac & Ephemerlis plot indicate Venus almost pre
4 Ciel 1s position rptd, Files indicdte fixed bright celestial body
3 when viewed at high altitude, through a/c windshield, appoaLe to move
or dance erratically. Generally due to slight "yawing" movement of
4 ATIC FORM 329 (REV 26 SEP 52) 2/C On 11S axes,

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Source: National Archives Catalog · NAID 28965401