Project 10073 Record Card: Sighting in Picayune, Mississippi, 16 January 1954

On 16 January 1954, at approximately 1330 local time, two teenage students from Picayune High School observed an unidentified flying object near the southern border of Picayune, Mississippi. The witnesses, described as reliable, reported seeing a silver, cylinder-shaped object with semispherical ends. The object, which appeared slightly larger than an orange held at arm's length, had a smooth surface with no visible windows, tail, or exhaust. The object was observed for approximately 75 seconds as it traveled in a straight line from the southwest to the northeast before disappearing beyond the range of vision. The witnesses were looking at a television antenna when they first spotted the object. Weather conditions at the time included low scattered clouds moving from north to south with very light winds from the northeast. The investigating officer, Major Jack P. Kern, noted that the location was in a remote section of Mississippi and off established airways. While the official conclusion on the Project 10073 record card suggested a probable aircraft sighting, the investigating officer's report stated that he was unable to establish a logical explanation for the sighting, noting that the object's range and apparent size indicated it was likely not a conventional aircraft. The report also mentions that the witnesses were aware of the importance of reporting such sightings due to media publicity. The document includes a separate, unrelated press clipping from a CRIFO newsletter regarding a disc sighting in Greenhills, Ohio, in January 1954.