Project 10073 Record Card — Sighting of 30 July 1954, Los Angeles, California

This document consists of a Project 10073 record card and associated teletype communications regarding an unidentified aerial phenomenon observed on July 30, 1954, near Los Angeles, California. Two test pilots, identified as Englert and Peterson, were flying a B-25 aircraft on a maintenance test hop for the Hughes Aircraft Corporation when they simultaneously sighted a strange object. The object was described as a pencil-thin line, appearing solid and metallic, positioned horizontally in relation to the earth. At the time of the sighting, the object appeared to be stationary at an altitude of approximately 30,000 feet. The pilots attempted to gain a better view by climbing their aircraft to 11,000 feet and performing 30-degree turns, but the object remained stationary and did not disappear. During the encounter, a Navy aircraft was observed passing underneath the object, apparently without the Navy pilot noticing it. Pilot Peterson, who was also a National Guard jet pilot, deemed the sighting significant enough to warrant a jet intercept. An attempt was made to scramble an F-86 from Van Nuys, but radio contact with the National Guard operations center was unsuccessful, and no intercept was achieved. The official conclusion recorded on the project card is 'UNIDENTIFIED'. The documentation includes multiple teletype messages sent between military commands, including March Flight Service Center, the Air Defense Command (ADC), the Air Technical Intelligence Center (ATIC), and Air Force headquarters, confirming the details of the report and the failed intercept attempt.