PROJECT 10073 RECORD

This document is a formal UFOB report (IR-117-54) dated May 14, 1954, concerning a sighting that occurred on May 13, 1954, at 1148Z. The incident involved a C-124 aircraft (Trip #528, Aircraft #1030) en route from Hickam Air Force Base to Travis Air Force Base. The aircraft commander, Captain D. B. Mautner of the 32nd A.T.S., reported observing a bright light moving parallel to his aircraft at a position of 26.5N 146.12W in the Pacific. According to the report, the crew blinked the aircraft's lights at the object, and the object signaled back. After approximately five minutes of observation, the object moved away to the northeast, climbing at a very rapid speed. The weather conditions at the time were reported as 3/8 cumulus clouds with tops at 6,000 feet and clear skies above. The report was processed through Pearl Harbor Rescue, which notified CINCPAC and Hickam Air Force Base, eventually leading to a request for the intelligence section at Travis Air Force Base to debrief the crew. The official conclusion reached by the evaluating agency, ATIC, was that the object was an aircraft, noting that there was nothing conflicting with an aircraft analysis. The reporting officer commented that, as far as could be determined, no other friendly aircraft were in the area at the time of the sighting, though it was assumed that a full report would be submitted by the intelligence section at Travis Air Force Base.