Project 10073 Record — Olmsted AFB, Pennsylvania, 29 October 1954

On October 29, 1954, at 2220Z, a control tower operator stationed at Olmsted Air Force Base in Middletown, Pennsylvania, observed an unidentified aerial phenomenon. The witness, an Airman First Class, reported seeing a single, white, transparent, round object for a duration of 30 minutes. The object was described as having a string hanging from its bottom and was observed moving in a southwest direction. The witness, who was on duty in the control tower at the time, noted that the object disappeared as darkness fell. The observer estimated the object's size to be approximately six feet in its longest dimension. The witness reported that there was no sound associated with the object and that it appeared to be a solid, transparent shape. The sighting was reported on the same day. The official conclusion reached by the Air Force investigation was that the object was 'probably a balloon.' The report notes that all indications from the observer's report suggested a balloon. The documentation includes a reference to film (7-3745-459) which was received and placed in a separate folder, and later noted as being in the custody of the Audio-Visual Division. The witness, who had previously seen a similar type of object approximately three months prior, provided a detailed questionnaire response, including sketches of the object's motion and appearance. The witness's own opinion, as stated in the report, was that the object was a 'weather balloon reflecting sunlight from below the horizon.'