Project 10073 Record Card and Related Correspondence — 29 September 1957

This document is a collection of records related to a UFO sighting report from 29 September 1957 in North Truro, Massachusetts. The primary report is a Project 10073 record card documenting a sighting by a USAF Captain. The witness described seeing a yellow flame with a flame tail, angling down and disappearing like a meteor flame going out. The duration of the observation was 1-2 seconds, and the object was moving west. The official conclusion reached by the evaluating agency, ATIC, was that the object was 'definitely a meteor.' The file includes a joint message form dated 9 October 1957, which requests a follow-up inquiry to properly conclude the case, noting that similar reports of multicolor lights are generally found to be in-flight refueling operations, though never at the altitudes reported. The document also contains a narrative account from the witness, who initially thought the object was a star but later felt it was too large and changing colors. The witness also noted that the report was filed without the comments of a Capt. Kash, who was ill with the flu. A note from the investigator states that it is a known phenomenon that a fixed object at night will appear to move to a maneuvering aircraft. The file also contains a list of sightings from 1-14 October 1957, which categorizes various reports, including the North Truro incident, as either 'Astro (METEOR)', 'Aircraft', 'Balloon', or 'Insufficient Data'. The document provides a clear example of the military's process for documenting and evaluating aerial phenomena during this period, emphasizing the distinction between astronomical events and unidentified objects.