Project 10073 Record Card and Correspondence — Charles Karlik Sighting, Long Island, New York, 17 January 1952

This document file contains a collection of records, correspondence, and hand-drawn diagrams regarding an aerial phenomenon sighting reported by a civilian, Charles Karlik, in Flushing, New York. On 17 January 1952, at approximately 01:00 EST, Karlik observed a bright, yellowish-orange object emerging from the southeastern horizon. He reported that the object traveled at a high rate of speed on a horizontal course. As it approached, the object appeared to brighten and gain speed, eventually veering toward the direction of Mitchel Field Air Base before disappearing in an explosion. Karlik provided detailed sketches and theoretical explanations for the sighting, suggesting that the object might have been a long, tubular guided missile of great size. He speculated that the 'green flash' he observed might be related to copper elements in the missile's composition, and that the blue-white crescent lights he witnessed were likely jet exhausts or ports. The witness also included a map showing the object's trajectory and its relation to Long Island and other reported flashes in New Mexico. The official military response involved the transmission of these reports from AFOIN-V/TC at Headquarters USAF to the Air Technical Intelligence Center at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base for evaluation and retention. The correspondence confirms that the Air Force received the additional descriptive details and diagrams provided by Karlik and assured him that the data would be incorporated into their intelligence analysis of the problem. The file includes multiple disposition forms, letters from Lt. Colonel W. W. Ottinger, and internal routing records, indicating that the sighting was treated as a matter of intelligence interest during the early months of 1952.