Project 10073 Record Card: Sighting of Unconventional Aircraft, 24 November 1951

This document is an Air Intelligence Information Report regarding an unidentified aerial object sighting on 24 November 1951. The incident occurred at 2153Z, approximately 40 miles southwest of Minneapolis, Minnesota, at an altitude of 25,000 feet. The primary witness was a pilot flying a flight of two F-51 aircraft under GCI control. The pilot reported observing a small, milky white object with the shape of a Northrup Flying Wing and an eight-foot wingspan. The object was in level flight, heading east, and appeared to be 'hanging in the air.' The witness noted that the object had no trail, no exhaust, and made no sound. The wingman of the flight did not see the object, and there was no radar contact on the GCI scope. The witness attempted to catch or further observe the object by making a 180-degree turn, but the object disappeared in the distance. The duration of the observation was approximately five seconds. The report, authored by Captain William H. Fairbrother of the 31st Air Division, notes that the weather was clear (CAVU) and that there was no meteorological or other condition that could account for the sighting. The report explicitly states there was no physical evidence. The incident was evaluated under Project Grudge and concluded as 'UNIDENTIFIED.' The document includes correspondence between the 31st Air Division and the Air Technical Intelligence Center (ATIC) requesting the names and stations of the pilots involved, confirming the involvement of Captain William H. Fairbrother and Captain Douglas E. Stewart. The report was originally classified as Confidential and contains standard declassification instructions.