Project 10073 Record Card and Incident Report — Presque Isle, Maine, October 1956

This document consists of a Project 10073 record card and a formal military report regarding an unidentified aerial phenomenon observed on October 24, 1956, near Presque Isle Air Force Base, Maine. The sighting occurred at 2209Z and involved a single, round, orange-red object described as having a streamer or tail. The witness, 1st Lt. James R. Turpen, reported that the object appeared to travel at a high speed, estimated at 1,000 knots, in a straight east-to-west flight path before dropping below the horizon. The observation lasted approximately two to three seconds. A second witness, T/Sgt. Wilson H. McMillan, a weather forecaster, provided a similar account, noting the object was seen at 30 degrees above the horizon. The report includes detailed meteorological data, noting clear conditions (CAVU) and visibility of 20 miles. It also documents concurrent military activity in the area, specifically B-47 aircraft dropping chaff and a weather balloon release from the Caribou CAA weather station at 2130Z. Despite the presence of these aircraft, the intelligence officer from the 75th Fighter Interceptor Squadron concluded that the sighting did not appear to be a meteor initially due to the flight path, but the final official conclusion recorded on the project card states that the description conforms to the criteria for a meteor hypothesis.