Project 10073 Record: Sighting at Williams AFB, Chandler, Arizona, April 1950

This document contains a Project 10073 record regarding a daylight UFO sighting reported by an Air Force Captain in April 1950 near Williams AFB, Chandler, Arizona. The witness, an Information Services Officer with significant jet flight experience, observed a round, dull off-white object with sharp outlines moving from the zenith to the northern horizon. The observation lasted approximately 10 seconds. The witness noted that the object moved in a straight line without any flutter or deviation, and he explicitly compared its speed to F-80 jets flying in the area, concluding the object was significantly faster. He initially suspected it might be a balloon but ruled this out due to the lack of wind-driven movement and the object's extreme speed. He contacted the weather office at Williams AFB and Davis-Monthan AFB, both of which confirmed no balloons had been released in the area that day. The official Air Technical Intelligence Center analysis, dated January 1959, concluded that the object was a meteor, specifically a fireball. The report notes that daylight sightings of fireballs are rare but possible, as they can reach magnitudes of -3 or brighter, making them visible in daylight. The analyst further calculated that the witness's reported speed of 1200 mph was an underestimate, suggesting the actual velocity was between 9000 and 10,000 knots based on the angular rate of 9 degrees per second. The document includes the original questionnaire completed by the witness, detailed sketches of the object's path, and the formal technical evaluation by Colonel H. K. Gilbert of AFCIN-4E.