Project 10073 Record Card and Air Intelligence Information Report — Pascagoula, Mississippi, 1 October 1952

This document contains the official Air Intelligence Information Report (IR-73-52) regarding a UFO sighting in Pascagoula, Mississippi, on 1 October 1952. The primary witnesses, a housewife and a newspaper editor from the Ingalls Shipbuilding Corporation, reported observing a round, milky-white object, approximately the size of a basketball held at arm's length. The object remained stationary for five to ten minutes before moving in a smooth circular path at an 'extremely fast' speed toward the Northeast. The witnesses emphasized that the sky was crystal clear at the time of the sighting. The report includes the original Project 10073 record card, the observers' completed questionnaires, and formal statements from the witnesses. The investigation, conducted by Major Eli S. Fowler, Jr. of the Air Technical Intelligence Center, concluded that the 'loud blast' reported by the witnesses—which prompted them to look outside—was actually a human cannonball act performed at a local county fair. The report notes a significant delay in the reporting process, as the agency was not contacted until 3 October 1952, two days after the event. The document also includes a weather report for the Pascagoula area, which confirms the atmospheric conditions at the time. The witnesses were described as reliable, intelligent, and serious individuals. Despite their detailed accounts, the official conclusion attributed the auditory component of the event to a local fair performance, effectively closing the case under the purview of Project 10073.