Incident #104 Sighting Report — Smyrna, Tennessee, 7 March 1948

This document contains the official report and subsequent evaluation of Incident #104, a sighting of an unidentified aerial phenomenon that occurred on 7 March 1948 near Smyrna, Tennessee. The sighting involved an oval, yellow-orange object observed by Major Frank L. Fenn, Colonel Richard S. Pettingill, and Private Frank C. Johnson at 2055 CST. The witnesses reported that the object appeared to be a flare, moved very slowly in a WNW direction away from the Smyrna Army Air Field, and remained visible for approximately 45 minutes before fading into the horizon. The report includes a standard check-list for unidentified flying objects and a formal letter from the Air Materiel Command at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base to the Chief of the Air Weather Service. This correspondence, dated 5 January 1949, discusses the collection and investigation of data regarding unidentified flying objects under Project SIGN. It notes that the Air Weather Service was requested to assist in identifying sightings that might be routine weather balloons. The specific evaluation for Incident #104, found on page 2, concludes that the object was 'undoubtedly the planet Venus,' as its position, color, speed, and setting time aligned with the computed position of the planet within acceptable observational error. The document also includes an index of evaluations extracted from the Project GRUDGE report, categorizing various incidents by their likely nature, such as astronomical, balloon-related, or unexplained.