PROJECT 10073 RECORD CARD - 17 December 1955

On December 17, 1955, at 1745Z, personnel at the 751st Aircraft Control and Warning Squadron at Mt. Laguna, California, tracked an unidentified object on their AN/FPS-3 ground radar. The observation lasted for 13 minutes. The object exhibited erratic behavior, moving inbound from the direction of Prescott radio toward Thermal radio, where it appeared to check its position 20 nautical miles north of the station before turning outbound toward Eelescope Peak. The radar operators estimated the object's speed at 1,415 knots based on its entire track path, though an initial estimate had been as high as 3,000 knots. The object appeared to be utilizing radio navigation aids, specifically those at Blythe, Thermal, Dagget, and possibly Inyokern. Seven personnel, including the crew chief and various radar operators, were involved in the observation. The Senior Director of the crew, 1/Lt. James D. Bunch, reported that radar maintenance personnel confirmed there was no internal interference on the equipment at the time of the sighting. The report notes that the object did not resemble any previously known interference. The squadron suggested the track could possibly have been a test aircraft from Muroc or Edwards Air Force Base, though Edwards AFB was unable to confirm the track with any of their own aircraft. The weather conditions were reported as clear with no weather on the radar scope.