Project 10073 Record Card and Incident Report — Lovingston, Virginia, 13 September 1952

This document is a collection of records and teletype communications regarding a sighting incident that occurred on September 13, 1952, in Lovingston, Virginia. The primary report, filed by the 771st AC and W Squadron at Fort John Custis, Virginia, describes a sighting at 0007Z of a blue ball of fire with a long tail. The object was observed by multiple witnesses, including two airmen from the Richmond Filter Center of the Ground Observer Corps (GOC). The witnesses described the object as having 'danced' for a few seconds before moving off toward the west. The report notes that a four-engine aircraft was in the vicinity at the time and may have observed the object. Subsequent communications detail multiple sightings in the region, including reports from a pilot of a Cavalier aircraft and other individuals in Lovingston and the vicinity of Patuxent, Maryland. The reports were cross-referenced with air traffic and meteorological data. The official conclusion reached by the Air Technical Intelligence Center (ATIC) was that the phenomenon was astronomical in nature, specifically a meteor. This conclusion is supported by the comments section of the record card, which states that the event was established as a meteor in the Washington area and was witnessed by several people. The documentation includes a Project 10073 record card, a worksheet, and teletype messages detailing the incident and the subsequent investigation.