Project 10073 Record Card and Air Intelligence Information Report — Birmingham, Alabama, 27 August 1952

On the night of August 27, 1952, two United States Air Force officers, Captain Clatwe W. Fisher and First Lieutenant William P. Wallick, were flying a P-51 aircraft at an altitude of 8,000 feet just west of the Birmingham Airport in Alabama. At approximately 2043 hours, they observed an unidentified aerial phenomenon described as a pale blue light. The object, which was of undeterminable size and shape, exhibited no trail, no exhaust, and produced no audible sound. According to the pilots, the object initially moved in wide, counter-clockwise circles around the city of Birmingham. It then transitioned into an elliptical flight path, occasionally blinking on and off. The pilots estimated the object's speed to be between 1,000 and 1,250 miles per hour. During the ten-minute observation, the object climbed to an altitude of 15,000 feet before disappearing to the northeast. The weather conditions were reported as clear with a slight haze, and the pilots noted that no other aircraft were in the vicinity, although P-51s were known to conduct cross-country flights in the area at three-minute intervals. Both officers provided formal statements confirming their observations and noting that they were unable to intercept the object. The intelligence report, prepared by M/Sgt. James R. Midkiff, concludes that the sighting cannot be explained by any known meteorological or man-made activity. The report also references a similar sighting occurring the same night near Kosciusko, Mississippi. The document is classified as Restricted and was distributed to the Flying Training Air Force headquarters in Waco, Texas.