SE Off Florida Coast, November 1957November 1957

Insufficient Data

Summary

# Sighting Off Florida Coast, November 1957

In November 1957, the crew and passengers of a KLM airliner witnessed a brief but striking object while en route from Kingston to Miami. Captain Vestervelder reported seeing an egg-shaped object with the brightness of the star Sirius. The object dimmed and then brightened, resembling a rocket changing stages. The sighting lasted approximately twelve seconds, and everyone aboard the aircraft saw it.

The object was traveling at an altitude of roughly twelve degrees above the horizon. Its estimated distance from the aircraft was unknown. The pilot, who had extensive experience with rockets during his military service, believed the object might be a rocket based on its appearance and behavior.

An investigation found nothing unusual in the area at the time of the sighting. The weather bureau and other sources had no record of rocket launches or other phenomena that might explain what the crew observed. According to comments in the case file, the object's brief duration made it unlikely to have been a missile, and the timing also did not match known missile test schedules in the region.

The Air Force investigators considered the reported brightness and changing appearance consistent with a meteor sighting. They noted that the description conformed to what observers might see from a natural atmospheric phenomenon. No physical evidence or additional witnesses were found to corroborate the sighting.

The full case file is reproduced below as held by the National Archives, comprising 57 pages.

Reported location

SE Off Florida Coast, November 1957

Date of incident

November 1957

State / country

? / XX

Page count

57 scanned pages

USAF evaluation

unknown

Microfilm

T1206, Roll 29

[ J ) : x! \ t PROJECT 10073 RECORD CARD i 1. DATE " 2. LOCATION 12. CONCLUSIONS a. & 0 Wos Bolloon } 4 November 1907 Sh oft Fiorida Coast e ey ow : 3. DATE-TIME GROUP 4. YYPE OF OBSERVATION tiki, Oldies og 3 g O Was Aircraft a JBI cists 0 Ground-Vi sual O Ground-Rodar 0 Probobly Aircraft a CMT 05/0:4257 XB Air Visvol O Air-Intercept Radar |D Possibly Aircraft = 5. PHOTOS « SOURCE ‘07 Woes Astronomical MF LCOr 4 O Yes ODO Probably Astronomical . 2 No Civilian DO Possibly Astronomical 7. LENGTH OF .O33ERVATION 8. NUMBER OF OBJECTS | 9. COURSE HE | REREAD 4 DO Insufficient Date for Evaluation] d : 0 Unknown i 12 seconds QLE ESE 4 10. BRIEF SUMMARY OF SIGHTING 11. COMMENTS : i Object with brightness of star Sirius [Duration too short for missile, i. wnich dimmed, then brightened Time also incorrect for missile 1 resembling rocket changing states, which would have been in area i Seen by entire crew & passengers, about 05/02004Z, Description con- forms to meteor sighting, ] ATIC FORM 329% (REV 26 SEP 52) 4 Rr me FE TT eRe Ee RE fy ; » } = dey TE SR a JE a Lo i 1 BAG : PAR Ey Ley oe le Zig ¢ i; I 3 Vol Ria Re ao pial g i h : ER RE: ih ami Lg Sl ;