Project 10073 Record: Report of Unidentified Flying Object, Athens, Georgia, 26 April 1954

This document is a formal report submitted by the AF ROTC Detachment 160 at the University of Georgia regarding an unidentified aerial phenomenon observed on 26 April 1954. The report, dated 27 April 1954, was addressed to the Director of Intelligence at Headquarters USAF in compliance with Air Force Regulation 200-2. According to the documentation, a group of 15 to 20 objects, described as round and white, resembling the size of a grapefruit, were observed in a 'Y' or check-mark formation. The witnesses reported that the objects exhibited remarkable smoothness in their flight, moving at a tremendous rate of speed in a straight and level path. The observation lasted approximately 10 seconds. The objects were seen flying under clouds, which were estimated to be at 6,000 feet. A key aspect of the report is the testimony of Colonel L. G. Duggar, the Professor of Air Science and Tactics at the University of Georgia. Colonel Duggar, a senior pilot with 4,000 hours of military flying experience, provided a statement emphasizing that the Athens area is typically quiet and that any conventional aircraft, particularly jets, would have been easily audible at that altitude. He noted that the objects were completely soundless. The report includes a certified weather statement from the U.S. Weather Bureau at Athens Municipal Airport, confirming the cloud conditions at the time of the sighting. The witnesses, including a U.S. Post Office clerk, were deemed reliable by the reporting officer. The final conclusion recorded on the project form is simply 'UNIDENTIFIED'.