Project 10073 Record Card — Parker, Arizona, 4 June 1955

This document details an investigation into a UFO sighting that occurred on 4 June 1955 near Parker, Arizona. The incident involved two separate observers: a civilian on the ground using binoculars and a military pilot, 1st Lt. B. E. Beecroft, flying a T-33 aircraft at an altitude of 20,000 feet. The civilian observer described a round object that appeared yellow, white, and red, which remained stationary for approximately three minutes before disappearing abruptly. The pilot, who was flying in a westerly direction, also reported seeing what he believed to be an extremely large star, which he observed for three minutes. The pilot further reported experiencing extreme magnetic variations in his compass and slave gyro while passing the location of the object. The investigation, conducted by Flight 1-C of the 1602d Air Intelligence Service Squadron, concluded that the sighting was caused by the planet Jupiter. The report suggests that the color variations reported by the ground observer were likely due to the use of low-power binoculars and atmospheric refraction, while the pilot's observation was simply that of a bright star. The report addresses the pilot's reported magnetic disturbances by stating that such occurrences were not uncommon in that specific geographic area and that similar incidents had been reported by other aircraft in the same vicinity. The investigators concluded that there was no connection between the sighting and the magnetic instrument errors, and that the visual phenomena were likely the result of atmospheric conditions and the planet Jupiter being in a prominent position in the sky at that time.