Project 10073 Record Card - Hanford Area, Washington - 1 May 1952

This document is an Air Intelligence Information Report regarding an unidentified flying object sighting on May 1, 1952, in the Hanford area of Washington. The report, issued by the 25th Air Division (Defense) at McChord Air Force Base, details an observation made at 0532 PST by ADC employees. The witnesses described a single silver object flying in a straight and level path at an altitude of 5,000 feet. The object was reported to have no trail or exhaust, made no sound, and was observed for approximately one and a half minutes. Weather conditions at the time were clear with 50 miles of visibility. The report notes that a weather balloon had been released from Yakima, Washington, at 0115 PST, but investigators expressed doubt that the observed object was this balloon. A patrol plane, call sign 'Gray-27' piloted by McVay, was in the vicinity at the time, but the object was not identified as an aircraft. The report includes a summary from a status report, which suggests that the object might have been an aircraft, noting that early morning haze could have hindered a clear observation. The document was forwarded to the Air Technical Intelligence Center at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base for further evaluation. The report is marked as unclassified and includes instructions for downgrading and declassification in accordance with Department of Defense directives.