Project 10073 Record Card — Narsarssuak AFB, Greenland, 18 Dec 52

On December 18, 1952, at approximately 1745Z, an unidentified aerial object was sighted 10 to 15 miles northwest of Narsarssuak Air Force Base in Greenland. The sighting was reported by two observers: an Air Force Staff Sergeant and a civilian secretary from the base headquarters. The observers described the object as climbing vertically, leveling off, and then climbing again in a westerly direction before disappearing. The object was noted to have emitted a black trail at the beginning of its ascent, which gradually became lighter. Weather conditions at the time were reported as calm and clear. Several known aircraft were operating in the area during the incident, specifically an L-20, a C-54, an SA-16, and an SB-17. Following the initial report, the incident was communicated through multiple channels, including teletype messages to the Air Technical Intelligence Center (ATIC) at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Headquarters USAF, and Headquarters ADC. The base subsequently conducted an investigation and notified ATIC that the unidentified object had been definitively identified as the SB-17 aircraft that was present in the vicinity. The official conclusion reached by the reporting authorities was that the object was an aircraft.