Project 10073 Record Card - Sighting Report, 6 September 1956

This document details a UFO sighting report from 6 September 1956, involving a civilian airline passenger flying between Coos Bay and Portland, Oregon. The witness, a passenger on a commercial flight, reported capturing a photograph of an object at 27,000 feet that they described as a cigar-shaped or submarine-shaped 'space ship' with tiny perforations along its long axis and visible windows. The witness used a Brownie camera and later claimed that the original negative was lost. The Air Technical Intelligence Center (ATIC) conducted an analysis of the submitted prints. Investigators concluded that the object was likely an emulsion flaw caused by the film sticking together during the development process, or possibly a mark on the airplane window. The report notes that the Brownie camera's slow shutter speed (1/25 to 1/30 second) would have rendered any rapidly moving object as an indistinct blur, which contradicts the sharp appearance of the object in the provided prints. Furthermore, the report highlights that no other UFO reports were filed in the area on that date, and the region is heavily trafficked by aircraft, making it unlikely that an unidentified object would go unnoticed by radar networks. The witness remained persistent in their inquiries, repeatedly asking if the government had any similar machines in the air at that time and location. The correspondence shows a clear frustration from the Air Force investigators regarding the witness's lack of cooperation, specifically the refusal to return the official UFO questionnaire or provide the original negative for scientific analysis. The case file includes internal disposition forms, correspondence between the witness and Captain Wallace W. Elwood, and technical notes regarding the photographic analysis. The investigators ultimately suggested the sighting might be an attempted hoax.