Project 10073 Record: Sighting of Unusual Object in the Air, St. Louis, Missouri, 19 May 1949

This document is a collection of reports and correspondence regarding an aerial sighting that occurred on 19 May 1949 at approximately 2100 hours near the U.S. Naval Air Station at Lambert Field, St. Louis, Missouri. Multiple witnesses, including naval officers on the ground and aircrew flying an SNB-1 aircraft, observed a 'ball of fire' traveling from east to west. Ground observers described the object as moving horizontally, unlike typical falling meteors, and noted it appeared to have a trail of fire or sparks. The aircrew, flying at 3,500 feet, reported seeing the object at an altitude of approximately 500 feet above them, traveling at a high rate of speed, estimated at 400 mph or faster. They noted that the object lacked running lights and appeared to be lighted from the interior before it suddenly disintegrated. The reports were forwarded through military channels, including the 11th Air Force and Continental Air Command, to the Air Materiel Command at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base. The official conclusion recorded on the Project 10073 form for this incident is 'Astro (METEOR)'. The file includes multiple copies of the 'Guide to Investigation' forms filled out by the various witnesses, as well as formal transmittal letters between the Naval Air Station and higher military headquarters, documenting the administrative process of reporting the sighting.