Washington, D.C., July 1961July 1961

On July 11, 1961, at dusk near Washington, D.C., a civilian witness observed an unidentified object in the clear sky. The object appeared white and resembled a star. It broke into four pieces, displayed no formation, and made no sound. The witness first noticed it by chance, then watched it move from zenith to 22 degrees southwest. The object seemed to disintegrate, with three pieces disappearing in one minute and the fourth piece vanishing one minute later. The sighting lasted about 10 minutes. The Air Force investigation noted the observer was a reliable physicist. Weather conditions were clear and dry. A weather balloon released at 1930 EDT on July 11 required approximately 50 minutes to reach an altitude of about 15 miles with a diameter of approximately 24 feet. The investigators noted that the projected bursting time of the balloon and the time of the reported UFO sighting closely coincided. The evaluation was not explicitly stated on the available pages.