Incident No. 5052 Sighting Report — Piggott, Arkansas, 14 March 1950

This document contains a series of reports and correspondence regarding an unidentified aerial phenomenon observed on March 14, 1950, in Piggott, Arkansas. The primary witness, the owner and operator of a local garage and service station, reported seeing an object in the sky while standing in front of his place of business at approximately 4:00 P.M. CST. He described the object as being white or aluminum in color, shaped like a 100-pound sack of potatoes, and appearing to be at an altitude of 8,000 feet. The object was observed for approximately 10 minutes, drifting from west to east, and made no sound. The witness noted that he had first observed a four-motored transport plane in the area, which banked and made a complete circle before he noticed the object above it. The report includes a formal statement signed by the witness on March 24, 1950, which was certified by a Captain of the Infantry. An agent report from the 112th CIC Detachment confirms that the witness is considered a reliable, law-abiding individual with an excellent reputation, corroborated by interviews with the editor of the Piggott Banner, the Clay County Sheriff, and the City Marshal. The military documentation, originating from the Headquarters Fourth Army, was forwarded to the Office of Naval Intelligence. The file also contains a teletype communication dated March 14, 1950, referencing a separate sighting at Biggs AFB on March 11, which was attributed to the planet Venus, though this specific Piggott incident remains categorized as an unidentified aerial object within the provided records. The investigator's notes on the ATIC form suggest the possibility that the object was a 'pillow balloon.'