Project 10073 Record Card — Battle Creek, Michigan, 22 Oct 55

On October 22, 1955, at 230320Z, a civilian observer in Battle Creek, Michigan, reported a sighting of an unidentified aerial object. The witness described the object as a single red light, appearing to be the size of the large end of a pencil held at arm's length. The object was observed at an altitude of 45 degrees in the southern sky. It remained stationary for a duration of three minutes before gradually fading out. The report was processed by the 781st AC&W Squadron at Fort Custer, Michigan, and forwarded to the Air Technical Intelligence Center. The official conclusion reached by the investigating authorities was that the observer likely witnessed the exhaust of a jet aircraft, noting that the object's color and the manner in which it faded from view supported this hypothesis. The weather conditions at the time were described as having a thin overcast with excellent visibility. The report was filed under Project 10073 and followed the reporting procedures established by Air Force Regulation 200-2.