Unidentified Flying Object Reported Seen from Barquisimeto

This document is an Air Intelligence Information Report (IR-89-56) dated 15 March 1956, concerning a sighting of an unidentified flying object in Barquisimeto, Venezuela, on 13 March 1956. The report details an account published in the local press, which described a violet-colored, luminous, round object that was larger than an aircraft. The object was observed at approximately 0300 hours at an altitude of 2,000 meters, performing multiple passes over the Barquisimeto airport. Witnesses, including the receptionist of the Hotel Nueva Segovia and a British guest, observed the object and reportedly took photographs of it with a telephoto lens. The report notes that the object emitted a blue wake from its rear. The tower at Barquisimeto Airport was contacted, and it was confirmed that no aircraft were in the vicinity at the time of the sighting. Additionally, reports were received from the town of Carora indicating the object had been seen there as well. The official conclusion reached by the evaluating agency, ATIC, was that there was insufficient data for a formal evaluation. The report highlights that the photographs mentioned by the witnesses were never received, and while some initial reports suggested the phenomenon might have been a meteor, the behavior of the object—specifically the multiple passes over the airstrip—made this explanation less certain. The document serves as a record of the incident within the framework of Project 10073, documenting the military's attempt to gather intelligence on aerial phenomena reported by civilians.