Project 10073 Record Card and Joint Messageform — 22 July 1956 Sighting

On July 22, 1956, at 221243Z, a Pan American Airways pilot reported an unidentified aerial phenomenon while flying at an altitude of 21,000 feet, located at 3656 North 12917 West, approximately 400 miles west of Monterey, California. The pilot observed a single object that appeared as a bright green light. According to the report, the object broke into three separate objects, moving from left to right in a generally southward direction. The witness described the speed of the object as slow compared to a falling star, and the entire observation lasted between three and four seconds before the objects faded from view. The incident was documented on a Project 10073 record card and reported via a Joint Messageform by the 28th Air Division at Hamilton Air Force Base to the Air Technical Intelligence Center at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base. The official conclusion reached by the investigating authorities was that the phenomenon was an astronomical meteor. The report notes that the weather conditions in the area were generally clear at the time of the sighting.