Project 10073 Record Card - Sighting near Marion, Ohio, 16 September 1951

This document details a sighting incident that occurred on September 16, 1951, near Marion, Ohio. A civilian pilot, flying a Cessna aircraft (NC88878) at an altitude of 2,800 feet, reported a near-collision with an unidentified object. The pilot described the object as having a high tail, a 45-degree sweptback wing, a long pointed nose, and being painted black. The object was observed approaching the pilot on a 50-degree reciprocal heading while the pilot was flying at a heading of 230 degrees. The duration of the observation was reported as a few seconds, with no sound detected. The incident was initially reported to Lt. Hart at Selfridge AFB, Michigan, and subsequently forwarded to the 5th District OSI(IG) in Columbus, Ohio, by Captain Douglas A. Neilson of the 664th AC&W Squadron. The report was then forwarded to the Air Technical Intelligence Center at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base on September 20, 1951. The official conclusion reached by the reporting office was that the object was a 'possible a/c sighting' and 'probably friendly conventional a/c.' No further action was deemed necessary by the 5th District OSI(IG).