Project 10073 Record: Sighting at Stewart AFB, New York, April 1954

This document consists of a Project 10073 record and a subsequent teletype message detailing two separate sightings of unidentified aerial phenomena at Stewart Air Force Base, New York, occurring between April 4 and April 5, 1954. The first incident, reported at approximately 2320 hours on April 4, involved two rotating white lights observed by a Captain who served as a weather forecaster at the base. The objects were described as having no discernible detail, sound, or exhaust, and were observed moving back and forth over the air base at altitudes between 300 and 500 feet, and later at 10,000 feet, moving in a northerly direction. A second sighting occurred at 0015 hours on April 5, involving a single white light observed by a Major. This object was reported to be traveling at a speed of approximately 100 miles per hour, moving from north to south before turning east and performing an 'up and down' motion at altitudes varying around 8,000 feet. The object eventually climbed until it was no longer visible, with the duration of the second sighting estimated at three to four minutes. The reporting headquarters suggested that the object in the second sighting was the same as that observed by a Captain Richman. The official conclusion recorded in the Project 10073 document for these events is 'PROBABLY BALLOON,' citing the reliability of the observers and the presence of characteristics consistent with balloon sightings. The teletype message was distributed to various intelligence and command centers, including the Director of Intelligence at HQ USAF and the Air Technical Intelligence Center at Wright-Patterson AFB.