Project 10073 Record Card — WPAFB, Ohio, 20 April 1952

On April 20, 1952, between 1815 and 1830 hours, two Air Force officers, a Captain and a Lieutenant, observed an unidentified aerial object while at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base (WPAFB) in Ohio. The object was first spotted by the Captain as a bright, white light reflecting at a 45-degree angle above the eastern horizon. The object traveled on an East to Northeast course and remained in view for approximately 15 to 30 seconds. During the observation, the object's size, shape, and color remained constant. The witnesses described the object as flat and long, estimating its size to be comparable to a jet aircraft viewed from a distance of one to one and a quarter miles. The object did not emit any trail or noise and eventually disappeared from sight while still significantly above the cloud level. A second officer, identified as Lieutenant Weinberg, was alerted by the Captain and observed the object for a very brief period. Weather conditions at the time were recorded as having scattered clouds at 5,000 feet and broken clouds at 7,000 feet, with 10 miles of visibility. A 100-gram weather balloon was released at 1500 EST, and wind data for various altitudes was recorded. Despite the detailed account provided by the military witnesses, the official conclusion recorded on the Project 10073 record card is that there was insufficient data for a definitive evaluation, though internal comments noted that the description resembled that of a large meteor.