Project 10073 Record Card — Donora, Pennsylvania, 19 August 1956

This document comprises an Air Intelligence Information Report regarding an Unidentified Flying Object (UFO) sighting in Donora, Pennsylvania, on 19 August 1956. The primary witness, an Assistant Group Operations Staff Officer, reported observing a single object for approximately one hour and thirty-five minutes. To the naked eye, the object appeared round, but when viewed through binoculars, it appeared triangular with a reddish-brown tail. The witness described the object moving in a clockwise rectangular pattern, repeating this movement three times. The sighting was investigated by the 54th Fighter Group (Air Defense). Despite the witness's detailed account, military radar sites, including GCI and Tower ASR, reported no contact with any object in the area. The Allegheny Observatory was also unable to verify the sighting. Local police were requested to investigate but reported negative results. The final official conclusion reached by the Air Force was that the object was the planet Mars, citing the object's azimuth and elevation, which coincided with the planet's position at the time of the observation. The report includes a Project 10073 record card and formal correspondence from Colonel Joe K. McNay to the Air Defense Command.