Project 10073 Record Card — Castle AFB, Merced, California, October 1956

This document consists of a Project 10073 record card and associated military correspondence regarding a UFO sighting reported at Castle Air Force Base, California, in October 1956. The sighting involved a single, oval-shaped object emitting a white light, described as being approximately the size of a volleyball held at arm's length. The object was observed twice: once instantaneously and a second time for 15 seconds. It appeared at an altitude of 1,000 feet and moved vertically while maintaining a horizontal heading of 272 degrees before disappearing into clouds. The report was filed by 1st Lt. Jerry O. Robinett and 1st Lt. Donato Correa Jr. of the 456th Fighter Interceptor Squadron. Official analysis by the Air Technical Intelligence Center (ATIC) determined that the data was insufficient for a definitive conclusion. Potential explanations considered included searchlights, meteors, or an astronomical sighting of Mars obscured by cloud cover, though an investigation by a staff intelligence officer found no evidence of searchlight activity in the area at the time. The correspondence also includes a directive from the Commander of the Air Defense Command (ADC) noting that the report should have been routed through the ADC in accordance with Air Force Regulation 200-2, which designated the ADC as responsible for the investigation phase of UFO sightings.