Correspondence Regarding Investigation of Airline Incidents Near Amarillo and El Paso, Texas

This collection of documents details the investigation by the Civil Aeronautics Administration (CAA) and the Air Technical Intelligence Center (ATIC) into two separate aerial incidents involving commercial airliners in July 1957. The first incident occurred on July 22, 1957, when a Trans World Airlines (TWA) flight en route from Chicago to Tucson encountered an unidentified object at 13,000 feet. The pilot reported that he performed an abrupt dive to avoid the object, which resulted in minor injuries to passengers and a stewardess, Dorothy Rekon. The incident received significant press attention. The second incident occurred on July 17, 1957, near El Paso, Texas, involving an American Airlines flight. Following an investigation, the CAA and ATIC concluded that the object in the TWA incident was likely a U.S. Air Force KC-97 aircraft that was off course. The second incident was determined to be another commercial aircraft, specifically American Airlines Flight 966. The correspondence between the CAA and the Air Technical Intelligence Center establishes a formal procedure for sharing investigation results regarding unidentified aerial phenomena to ensure that both agencies remain informed and can provide consistent information to the public and the press. The documents include a Project 10073 record card, internal CAA correspondence, and a formal letter from the CAA to the Air Technical Intelligence Center confirming the findings.