Project 10073 Record Card and Related Correspondence — 7 November 1955

On November 7, 1955, the crew of a USAF SC-54 aircraft (number 72456) flying a great circle route from Harmon to Prestwick, Scotland, observed an unidentified aerial object at 0249Z. The object was described as elliptical in shape, reddish-yellow in color, and resembling the top third of an orange in an inverted position. The observation lasted for approximately two minutes, during which the object moved away along the azimuth until it disappeared. The crew, consisting of Captain Lyle G. Lafon, First Lieutenant Eugene W. Ingold, and Flight Engineer Frederick G. Shaw, were all noted as reliable. No radar or optical aids were used during the sighting, and no physical or photographic evidence was obtained. Weather conditions at the time included a broken layer of clouds at 14,000 feet. Initial intelligence assessments from the 1631st Air Base Group at Prestwick suggested that the sighting might be explained by a parallax phenomenon, specifically the moon reflecting off high cloud layers. However, the base intelligence officer noted that the lack of pilot reports confirming high-altitude cloud layers at 20,000 feet made it difficult to fully explain the event. Subsequent correspondence from November 11, 1955, reinforced the theory that the crew observed a parallax phenomenon or moon reflection, noting that the moon would have risen at 0247Z on the morning of November 8, 1955, at a heading that could account for the sighting. The incident was documented under Project 10073 and referenced in relation to CIRVIS reporting procedures.