Yuma, ArizonaFebruary 1961

Insufficient Data

Summary

On February 27, 1961, the 864th radar squadron at the Marine Corps Auxiliary Air Station in Yuma, Arizona, tracked an object on radar for about 1 hour and 48 minutes. The sighting was made only on radar, using an MPS-14 set. There was no visual sighting.

The object first appeared like a single aircraft. Because of its slow speed, about 23 knots, it was first thought to be a balloon. The presentation then began to break up and became diffused at about 42,000 feet. It left a trail of diffuse echoes slanting downward, similar to a stream of chaff. It gradually lost altitude at a rate of about 320 feet per minute until contact was lost. The senior director said that in eight years of radar duty he had only seen a similar presentation from chaff dropped by balloons.

The Air Force card states that Foreign Technology Division radar specialists indicate the most plausible explanation is that a chaff drop was being conducted.

Reported location

Yuma, Arizona

Date of incident

February 1961

State / country

AZ / 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

PE PTAC SCRE TOBY ha. 3, FOR SS a RT AOR
Eo " |
\ 3 £ |
1
bs i PROJECT 10073 RECORD CARD :
1. DATE 2. LOCATION 12. CONCLUSIONS
y : 0 Was Bolloon
| 27 Feb 61 Yuma, Arizona O Probably Balloon
3. DATE-TIME GROUP 4. TYPE OF OBSERVATION O Possibly Balloon
) :
vent ER i 0 Ground- Visual 3 Ground-Rodor a Probably Alrera
GMT 271 412 O Air Visual 0 Air-Intercept Radar DO Possibly Aircraft
5. PHOTOS . SOURCE O Was Astronomicol
O Yes O Probably Astronomical
8 No Military DO Possibly Astronomicol
| 7. LENGTH OF. OBSERVATION 8. NUMBER OF OBJECTS | 9. COURSE 8 Other _POss Chaff
; O Insufficient Data for Evaluation
0 Unknown
: 1 hr 48 nin
i 10. BRIEF SUMMARY OF SIGHTING Similar to chaff drop. (11. COMMENTS Sighting was made only on
k Gradually lost altitude, very slow moving. radar. FTD radar specialists indicate
Gradually faded. Rate of descent--aprox 300' | that most plausible explanation is that
| per minute. a chaff drop was being conducted.
ATIC FORM 329 (REV 26 SEP 52)
: 0
; ‘
: .,

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Source: National Archives Catalog · NAID 28991568