Project 10073 Record Cards and Air Intelligence Information Reports — Greenville, South Carolina, February 1954

This document consists of a series of Project 10073 record cards and Air Intelligence Information Reports detailing two related sightings on 15 February 1954 in the vicinity of Greenville, South Carolina. The first report concerns a visual sighting by a civilian, Mrs. Marylyn R. Kunkel, who observed a brilliant orange solid ball with two parallel tails darting across the sky for approximately ten seconds. The second report details a radar tracking incident occurring on the same night, where an AC&W operator, S/Sgt K. A. Payne, tracked an unknown target at a high rate of speed that violated a prohibited area. The radar contact was described as a large blip, comparable in size to an aircraft, and was tracked for 21 minutes before merging with another target. The official conclusions for these events were that the visual sighting was a fireball meteor, while the radar contact was a radar reflection. The investigating officer, Captain Joseph C. Sheelar, noted that the investigation was hampered by the delay in reporting the incidents to the department. The document includes various aeronautical charts (WAC 409) used for reference and flight path analysis. The reports emphasize that there were no other aircraft in the area at the time, and that the radar operator was performing routine duties when the unusual performance was noted.