Project 10073 Record Card — Mechanicsburg, Ohio, 27 July 1956

This document is a Project 10073 record card and associated technical information sheets detailing a UFO sighting reported by a civilian in Mechanicsburg, Ohio, on July 27, 1956. The witness, an administrative assistant, observed a luminous, flat-shaped object resembling a light bulb at approximately 0403 hours. The witness described the object as being the size of a grapefruit at arm's length, which remained steady before hovering, moving rapidly to the right, and eventually moving away and growing smaller until it disappeared. The witness noted that the object did not flicker and did not emit sound. The observation lasted for five minutes. The witness was inside her home, looking out of a south-facing window, and reported that the sky was clear with no wind. The witness also noted a previous, unrelated sighting in Wisconsin in July 1954. Following the report, an investigation was conducted, including a telephone conversation on August 11, 1956, with Sergeant Overly of the 6th Weather Group. The official conclusion reached by the Air Force was that the object was a weather balloon. The investigation determined that a weather balloon had been launched at 0315 hours, approximately 30-35 miles from the observer's location. Given the prevailing winds from the west at 25-35 knots, it was calculated that the balloon would have been in the vicinity of the observer at the time of the sighting, leading to the classification of the event as a balloon.