Project 10073 Record Card — 15 November 1956 Sighting near McChord AFB

This document consists of a Project 10073 record card and associated military teletype reports regarding an unidentified aerial phenomenon observed on 15 November 1956 near McChord Air Force Base, Washington. The sighting occurred at 0452Z and involved a single round object characterized by white-orange streamers. The witness reported that the object appeared as a flash in the sky, moving from the northeast to the southwest. The object was described as traveling slower than a meteor but faster than an aircraft, with a total observation duration of three to four seconds. The report notes that the object was originally sighted east of the Fort Lewis firing area. Official conclusions reached by the Air Technical Intelligence Center (ATIC) suggest that the sighting was likely caused by a meteor. However, internal military correspondence includes handwritten annotations suggesting an alternative possibility, specifically that the phenomenon could have been a malfunctioning rocket that caught fire during its trajectory. The report includes technical details such as weather conditions, which were noted as 'night clear,' and mentions that no radar contact was made. The report was processed through the 25th Air Division at McChord AFB and addressed to the Air Defense Command at Ent Air Force Base, Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, and Air Force Headquarters in Washington D.C.