Project 10073 Record Card and Related Correspondence: Pan American Airline UFO Incident, 9 March 1957

This document collection details the investigation into a UFO sighting reported by the crew of a Pan American Airlines flight on 9 March 1957. While flying over the Atlantic Ocean, approximately 650 miles east of Jacksonville, Florida, the flight crew observed a brilliant, round object with a greenish halo and a long flame. The pilot performed a violent evasive maneuver to avoid a potential collision, resulting in injuries to three passengers in the cabin. The incident was investigated by the Air Technical Intelligence Center (ATIC) at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base. Multiple other aircraft in the vicinity also reported seeing the object, which appeared to travel on a horizontal trajectory. The official conclusion reached by ATIC, and supported by Dr. J. A. Hynek of the Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory, was that the object was a 'bolide' or 'fireball'—a rare meteoric phenomenon. The report explicitly rules out guided missiles or aircraft, citing confirmation from the Strategic Air Command (SAC), the Air Defense Command (ADC), and Patrick Air Force Base that no such operations were occurring in the area at the time. The document includes a record card, a memorandum for the Chief of Staff, a statement by Dr. Hynek, and various internal communications regarding the incident. It also notes that the press attempted to link the sighting to the planet Venus, which was dismissed as the planet was not visible at the time and location of the event. The investigation emphasizes that while the object's appearance was frightening and unusual, it conformed to descriptions of fireballs received by ATIC over the previous decade.