PROJECT 10073 RECORD - Imperial, Illinois - 8 October 1954

This document is a Project 10073 record detailing a sighting of an unidentified aerial object in Imperial, Illinois, on October 8, 1954, at approximately 0200Z. The report, transmitted via military cable (JEDST 178) from Commander Scott AFB, describes the observation of a single object by a 28-year-old male civilian civil engineer. The witness reported that the object was round, approximately the size of a half-dollar, and flame-colored. It featured a protuberance on its left side and a tail of similar size to the object itself, which appeared to move from side to side as if 'windlashed.' The observation lasted for three seconds, during which the object traveled in a 45-degree arc toward the ground before disappearing behind trees. The witness was noted to be color blind. Weather conditions at the time were reported as a clear night. The official conclusion reached by the military authorities was that the object was a meteor, noting that the description conformed with a meteor sighting. The report includes technical details such as wind speeds at various altitudes and the observer's professional background, and it references Air Force Regulation 200-2 regarding the reporting of unidentified flying objects.