Project 10073 Record — Sighting Report, Eau Claire, Wisconsin, 9 March 1949

This document is a formal sighting report filed under Project 10073, detailing an incident that occurred on 9 March 1949 near Eau Claire, Wisconsin. The primary witness, a Major in the Air Weather Service, observed an unidentified aerial object while traveling in an automobile approximately 50 miles south of Eau Claire. The observation lasted for approximately one hour. The witness described the object as a large, spherical entity that exhibited tight maneuvering in a vertical plane, moving up and down. The object left an intense white trail, which the witness noted was significantly more intense than typical cirrus cloud formations. The trail was estimated to be 50 times the length of the object itself, with a width varying between one and ten times the object's diameter. The witness estimated the object's altitude at 20,000 feet and its speed at no more than 200 miles per hour. The weather conditions at the time were reported as excellent, with unlimited visibility and a ceiling of 2-3 tenths high cirrus clouds. The object did not pass through any cloud formations but was seen silhouetted against them, suggesting it was below the cirrus layer. No sound was reported, and no fins or stabilizers were observed on the object. The witness, who was deemed completely reliable by the interrogator, lost sight of the object as they entered the city of Eau Claire. The official conclusion reached in the report is that the object was a condensation trail (contrail). The document includes a sketch of the object and its trail, and notes that while no photographs were taken, the observer believed it would have been possible to obtain an image. The report was submitted to the Commanding General of the Air Material Command at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base in accordance with Air Intelligence Requirement Memorandum Number 4.