Project 10073 Record Card — Brainerd, Minnesota, 14 November 1956

On 14 November 1956, at 1530Z, a 53-year-old female ground observer in Brainerd, Minnesota, reported a sighting of an unidentified object. The witness, who was driving an automobile at the time, observed the object for approximately one minute. She described the object as oblong, roughly the size of a basketball, with a silver appearance on the top and bottom and a black stripe in the center. The object was observed descending until it passed out of view. Following the report, the local sheriff investigated the area and discovered ground tracks that were noted as possibly being caused by a small type of aircraft. The 31st Air Division, which prepared the report, concluded that there was insufficient data to definitively identify the object. While the report suggests the object was very possibly a balloon released by a local research organization such as General Mills or Raven Industries, a check of all balloon projects in the area yielded negative results. The report was filed under Project 10073 and processed in accordance with AFR 200-2.