PROJECT BLUE BOOK

UNIDENTIFIED FLYING OBJECT CASE FILES · 1947 – 1969

CASE REFERENCE8683387

DATE OF SIGHTINGMay 1961

REPORTED LOCATIONCharleston W V

FRAMES5

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Transcribed Frames

FRAME 001 / 005paddle-gpu-200dpi

PROJECT 10073 RECORD CARD
1. DATE 2. LOCATION 12. CONCLUSIONS
0 Was Balloon 7/
13 May 61 Charleston, W. V. on Probably Balloon
3. DATE-TIME GROUP TYPE OF OBSERVATION Possibly Balloon
4.
Local 2045 Ground-Visual Ground-Rodar Was Aircraft
00 Probobly Aircraft
GMT 1401452 AirVisual Air-intercept Radar Possibly Aircraft
5. PHOTOS 6. SOURCE 0 Was Astronomical
. Yes 00 Probobly Astronomical
No Civilian Possibly Astronomical
7. LENGTH OF.OBSERVATION 8. NUMBEI COURSE 00 Other_
Insufficient Dato for Evaluation
D Unkno wn
5-10 min 1 W-E
10. BRIEF SUMMARY OF SIGHTINGCIrCULAI, size of dime, 11. COMMENTS It is possible that weather
starlike, white, pulsating forward motion. ballcon launched by weather bureau was
Slight erratic lateral motion. Faded out in objt seen by witness. It was reported
the E. that balloon remained in general area
where it was launched for some time,
and pulsating motion reported could
have caused by varying wind velocities.
4
.

FRAME 002 / 005paddle-gpu-200dpi

C
TELEPHONED DOM
TO
NO.7
TIME
Date (
C ZCSQA303ZCVYC247 By: 21 28
1961 MAY "15
PP RJEDSQ —
1
DE RJESKBP 2
ZNR —
1517152 b2
FM 7S3 ACW SQ GUTHRIE AFS W VA .4230 C.
TO RJWFAL/AIR DEFENSE COMMAND ENT OLORADO 4
RJESKB/32 ADIV DOBBINS AFB GA C
RJEDSQ!WRIGHT PATTERSON AFB OHIO . C
RJEZHQ/HQ USAF WASH 25 D C
RJEZHQ/SEC WASH 25 (
BT .
- U
TIFIED FLYING OBJECT (UFO). IN ACCORDANCE WITH AFR 200-2' TIFIED FLYING OBJECT (UFO). IN ACCORDANCE WITH AFR 200-2' DTD 'DTD (
14 SIP 59' THE FOLLOWING REPORT IS SUBNITTED: 14 SIP 59' THE FOLLOWING REPORT IS S SUBMITTED: C
A. DESCRIPTION OF THE OBJECT:
(1) CIRCULAR −
(2) DIME (STARLIKE) C C ORYIR VTIR
(3) WHITE
(4) ONE (1) (4).0NE (1) (
(5) N/A (
(6) P PULSATING FORWARD MOTION
(
(

FRAME 003 / 005paddle-gpu-200dpi

(
(7) NONE
(3) NONE (
(9) SLIGHT ERRATIC LARERAL MOTION (
B. DESCRIPTION OF COURSE OF OBJECT:
(1) RELATIVE BRICHTNESS AND MOTION
(2) HICH (ALMOST OVERHEAD) IN THE WEST −
(3) CLOSE TO THE HORIZON IN THE EAST
(4) GENERALLY STRAIGHT WEST-EAST MOVEMENT (
s
(5) FADE-OUT IN THE EAST (
(6) FIVE - TEN MINUTES
C. MANNER OF OBSERVATION: C
(1) GROUND-VISUAL C
(2) N/A
(3) N/A
D. TIME AND DATE OF SIGHTIN:
C
(1) 01452/14 MAY 1961
(2)NIGHT (2NIGHT −
E. LOCATION OF OBSERVER: EAST CHARLESTON' W.VA.' NEAR
WEST VIRGINIA STATE CAPITOL' 38 DEGREES MINUTES MINUTES S NORTH' NORTH'
81 DEGREES S 40 MINUTES WEST. MINUTES WEST. ( (
176
(
C
(
(
(
PAGE TWO RJESKBP 2
F. IDENTIFYING INE ON
(
CHARLESTON ' W. SALES ENGINEER' RELIABILITY: GOOD
C. WEATHER AND WINDS: (
4.

FRAME 004 / 005paddle-gpu-200dpi

OFFICE AT KANAWHA COUNTY
AIRPORT ON WINDS: ↓(
(
WINDS S ALOF 6000 ' 050 DEGREES 2 KNOTS
8000 180 DEGREES 3 KNOTS C
32D AD(S) WEA WINDS CAST VALID FROM M 132103Z TO
1409032:
5000 - 230 DEGREES 20 KNOTS C
12230 - 330 DEGREES 20 KNOTS C
15000 - 330 DEGREES 30 KNOTS
20000- 340 DEGREES 30 KNOTS
30200 - 330 DEGREES 70 KNOTS .
50330 - 333 DEGREES 30 KNOTS
83300 - NOT AVAILABLE
(3) CLEAR' CEILING UNLIMITED
C
C
( C
C WOONIE WONE
PAGE FOUR PAGE FOUR RJESKBP 2 RJESKBP 2 (
(4)TEN MILES C
(5) NONE
(G) NONE (
(7) TEMPERATURE' 66 DEGREES' DEW POINT' 55 DEGREES (
H. NONE
I. NONE
J. A 10D GRAM WEATHER BALLOON N was LAUNCHED AT KANAWHA COUNTY
AIRPORT BY THE US WEATHER BUREAU AT STANDARD TIME
(132325Z).

FRAME 005 / 005paddle-gpu-200dpi

" on . unii• USAF OTLANTIONS UFFIOEN
AN OBSERVER' LOCATED APPROXIMATELY FOUR MILES SOUTH OF KANAWHA
AIRPORT' SIGHTED AN OBJECT AT 140145Z' HIGH OVERHEAD NOVING -
COUNTY
IN AN EASTERLY DIRECTION. AT 132325Z' THE US WX BUREAU LAUNCHED (
A 103 GRAM WEATHER BALLOON FROM KANAWHA COUNTY AIRPORT. THE
BALLOON WAS UNDER OBSERVATION FOR TWENTY-SEVEN MINUTES DURING WHICH
TIME' DUE TO RELATIVELY LOW WINDS ALOFT' IT REMAINED OVERHEAD IN
THE IMMEDIATE CHARLESTON VICINITY FOR QUITE SOME TIME. IT REACHED
A MAXIMUM ALTITUDE OF 25000 FT. WINDS ALOFT FORECASTS FROM 32NRCC MOTAX
WEA WOULD INDICATE THE BALLOON ON A SOUTH-EASTERLY COURSE. THE (
ALTITUDE AND OVERHEAD D POSITION OF THE BALLOON WOULD MAKE IT HARD
( S1
(
(
C
(
PAGE FIVE RJESKBP 2
FOR THE OBSERVER TO DETERMINE ITS ACTUAL COURSE• DUE TO THE RE
IX BUREAU INFORMATION I I ASSUME THAT C (
PORTED DESCRIPTION AND UX BUREAU INFORMATION I ASSUME THAT PORTED DESCRIPTION AND UX
THE W THE WEATHER BALLOON WEATHER BALLOON WAS WAS POSSIBLE CAUSE FOR THE SIGHTING. POSSIBLE CAUSE FOR THE SIGHTING. (
L. NONE
(
BT
15/1808Z MAY RJESKBP (
:
NNNN