Project 10073 Record 290: Unconventional Aircraft Sighting, Charlotte, North Carolina, 7 April 1949

This document is a comprehensive investigation report regarding an Unconventional Aircraft sighting in Charlotte, North Carolina, on 7 April 1949. The initial report, filed under Project 10073, involved observers at Memorial Stadium who reported an amber, cylindrical-shaped object that appeared stationary at a high altitude. The investigation, conducted by the 111th CIC Detachment, involved interviewing multiple witnesses, including the proprietor of Plaza Airport and a U.S. Postal employee. Several witnesses were initially convinced they had seen an unusual craft, with one observer estimating the object's altitude at 20,000 feet. However, investigators were skeptical, noting that one primary witness had a reputation as a 'publicity hound.' To resolve the incident, agents returned to Memorial Stadium on 25 May 1949 and activated the stadium lights. Upon doing so, they observed that a Pyrex insulator on nearby radio antenna equipment cast an unusual reflection that matched the description provided by the witnesses. The witnesses were then shown this reflection and positively identified it as the 'strange object' they had previously observed. The investigation concluded that the sighting was caused by ground lights reflecting off the insulator. The report includes sworn statements from the witnesses (Exhibits A and B) and notes that inquiries to other observatories and agencies in the region yielded negative results for any other unusual aerial phenomena on that date. The document is marked as unclassified and was downgraded at three-year intervals, eventually being declassified after 12 years per DOD Directive 5200.10.