Project 10073 Record Card — 24 March 1952 Sighting

This document is an Air Intelligence Information Report (IR-1-52) dated 19 April 1952, detailing a radar sighting of an unidentified object on 24 March 1952. The report was prepared by 2nd Lieutenant John F. McGrew of the 102nd Bomb Squadron. According to the statement provided by the radar observer, Lieutenant Hancock, the crew of a B-29 aircraft was on a routine mission when they observed a return on their APQ-13 radar scope that they could not identify. The sighting occurred at 1645 Z, approximately 60 miles west of Point Conception, California, at coordinates 34-30 N, 121-30 W. The object was observed for 20 to 30 seconds, during which time it was estimated to be traveling at 3,000 knots at an altitude of less than 25,000 feet. The object appeared south of the aircraft and moved in a northwesterly direction. The observation was verified by the navigator, Lieutenant Cone. Both officers were noted as having significant combat experience from World War II and Korea, and were considered highly reliable. The weather conditions were reported as CAVU (Ceiling and Visibility Unlimited). No physical evidence was recovered. A subsequent status report (Status Report #6) suggests that the sighting may have been caused by interference from parts of the aircraft. The document is marked as unclassified.