Project 10073 Record — Enid, Oklahoma, 15 October 1954

This Air Intelligence Information Report details a sighting of an unidentified aerial phenomenon reported by Lt. Col. Graves L. Evers, III, on 15 October 1954. At approximately 16/0237Z, while in the backyard of his residence at 902 W. Iowa in Enid, Oklahoma, Lt. Col. Evers observed a half-moon shaped object moving in a straight and level path from the northeast to the southwest. The witness, a Senior Pilot and Wing Training and Operations Officer with over 17 years of service, estimated the object's speed at 200 mph and its altitude at 1,500 feet. He described the object as grayish-white, smooth, and symmetrical, appearing to be the size of a grapefruit held at arm's length. The observation lasted approximately five seconds, during which time the object made no sound. The witness noted that the area was illuminated by stadium floodlights from a nearby football game, which he believed reflected off the bottom surface of the object. The report includes sketches of the sighting area and the object itself. Following the report, the 4602d Air Intelligence Service Squadron conducted a field investigation. The official conclusion reached by the evaluating agency, ATIC, was that the object was a bird reflecting light from the stadium floodlights. The report notes that the speed of flight was consistent with this analysis, as birds are typically found at altitudes lower than 1,500 feet. The investigators acknowledged the difficulty of evaluating the report due to the short duration of the sighting and the lack of corroborating witnesses, but ultimately classified the event as a bird.