Project 10073 Record: Sighting at Shaw AFB, South Carolina, 24 April 1954

This document consists of a Project 10073 record and an associated teletype message regarding an unidentified aerial phenomenon reported on April 24, 1954. The sighting occurred at 0410Z, nine miles west of Shaw Air Force Base in South Carolina. The witness, identified as personnel at the Columbia Radio Range Station, observed the object through binoculars for approximately five seconds. The object was described as round, green in color, and possessing a green exhaust trail that was five times the length of the object itself. It was estimated to be at an altitude of 7,000 feet, traveling at a speed of 500 knots on a northerly heading. The size of the object was compared to that of a pop bottle. The official conclusion reached by the Air Technical Intelligence Center (ATIC) was that the sighting was astronomical in nature, specifically a meteor. The report notes that a C-119 aircraft was in the area at the time of the observation. The teletype message, sent from HQ USAF Washington D.C. to the Chief of ATIC at Wright-Patterson AFB, confirms the details of the report, which was signed by a 1st Lieutenant.