Project 10073 Record Card — Spokane, Washington, 3 March 1956

On 3 March 1956, 1st Lt. Donald A. Stoner of the 538th Fighter-Interceptor Squadron was on an Air Defense mission flying an F-86D aircraft near Spokane, Washington. During the flight, he observed a radar contact that appeared on his scope. The target was approximately 5 miles away at the time of contact. According to the pilot's report, the blip moved rapidly up the scope and then faded. The pilot noted that he was unable to obtain a lock-on despite his efforts. He estimated the speed of the object to be between 700 and 1200 m.p.h. and noted his own altitude was 22,000 feet. Two other aircraft in the same flight also had contact in a similar position. The pilot speculated that if the object were a real target, it would have been an F-100 series fighter, though he noted he had never seen such rapid target movement away from an aircraft traveling at nearly 300 m.p.h. in the same general direction. The 760th ACWRON controller was consulted regarding the incident and stated that they experienced a 'normal fade' of the radar target. The official conclusion recorded on the Project 10073 record card categorized the event as 'Probably Aircraft'. The documentation includes technical information sheets, a summary of the event, and a teletype message detailing the incident to various Air Force commands, including the Air Defense Command at Ent AFB and the Director of Intelligence at USAF Headquarters.