San Bernardino, CaliforniaMarch 1961

Insufficient Data

Summary

On March 1, 1961, around 6:00 p.m. local time, a 16 year old civilian student in San Bernardino, California, reported a round object while watching the sky for aircraft. Other members of the family also saw it, and the report was considered reliable. The object was seen for about three minutes.

The object appeared slightly larger than the planet Venus. It was initially golden, changed to pinkish white when overhead, then back to gold. It appeared about 20 degrees above the western horizon, crossed straight from west to east, and was lost to view about 20 degrees above the eastern horizon, possibly behind a mountain. A slight halation, or glow, was noted when it was overhead. No trail or sound was reported.

The Air Force card states the object was probably an aircraft. It reasons that if the witness was 5 degrees low on his elevation estimate, an aircraft at about 8 miles up would cross the described angle in three minutes at a speed easily within the capability of jet aircraft. It adds that a bright white light on the bottom of the aircraft was probably what the witness saw.

Reported location

San Bernardino, California

Date of incident

March 1961

State / country

CA / US

Page count

4 scanned pages

USAF evaluation

unknown

Microfilm

T1206, Roll 41

Original case file scans

Original case file · scanned by NARAPage 1 of 4

View transcribed text

; SL PROJECT 10073 RECORD CARD +.
4 1. DATE 2. LOCATION 12. CONCLUSIONS
"4 O Was Balloon |
| 1 Max 61 San Bernardino, California 0 Probably Bolloon
3. DATE-TIME GROUP 4. TYPE OF OBSERVATION = Tovey, neon
g ES BRT hn ii X1 Ground- Visual DO Ground-Rador 2 Brenly Rivera
GMT 0203002 Q Air Visual O Air-Intercept Radar 0 Possibly Aircraft |
5. ‘PHOTOS . SOURCE O Was Astronomical
O Yes O Probably Astronomical
2 Ne | Civilian O Possibly Astronomical
yo 7. LENGTH OF OBSERVATION 8. NUMBER OF OBJECTS | 9. COURSE BOO iiiiiiiiiiibicuddiinionsndis
; : ~. 2 bh ga Dota for Evaluation
nknown
I | 3 min fe NR eee
10. BRIEF SUMMARY OF SIGHTIN®oOund, appeared slightly [1). COMMENTSObjt of this sighting was prob
; larger than planet Venus. Initially golden ably and a/c, Witness indicated objt
| 3 changing to pinkish-white overhead, then back| moved fm an elevation of aprox 20° W to |
| to gold. Appeared aprox 20° above western horfisame elevation in E. Assuming witness
| zon; disappeared apros 20° above eastern horifwas 5° low on his estimate of elevation
{ zon, and a/c at a height of 8 mi would have
] passed through angle he describes in
1 3 min. If it had a ground speed of 573 Hts
§ which is easily within capability of ou
| Jet a/c. Bright white light on bottom of
a/c was probably light observed by _,
| witness. p £m
; »,
. ATIC FORM 329 (REV 26 SEP 52) |
4 ; :
4 S

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Source: National Archives Catalog · NAID 28991669