Project 10073 Record Card and Air Intelligence Information Report — Mildenhall, England, 19 October 1957

On 19 October 1957, at approximately 1740Z, personnel at the 1979-2 AACS Detachment at RAF Station Mildenhall, England, reported a sighting of an unidentified aerial object. The witnesses, including tower operators Harold R. Pringle and Allen B. Warsewich, and GCA operator William H. Conn, described the object as a circular, disc-shaped light that appeared to be the size of a dime held at arm's length. The object was initially observed hovering at an elevation of approximately 5 degrees above the horizon, with a color that varied from yellow to orange. The object moved slowly westward for a total duration of 29 minutes before disappearing beneath a cloud layer. The observers noted no trail, exhaust, or sound associated with the object, though there was a reported 30-second period of VHF and UHF radio interference. Ground radar, specifically the CPN-4 GCA unit, maintained contact with two targets during the event. The report notes that Lakenheath RAPCON and the Schulthorpe weather station also tracked targets in the vicinity, though these radar returns were not definitively linked to the visual sighting. Weather conditions at the time included scattered clouds at 40,000 feet and visibility of 6 miles in haze. The official conclusion reached by the investigating officer, 1st Lt. David A. Ziller, was that the visual sighting was caused by the planet Venus, which was in the position of the object and appeared very bright at the time. The report explicitly states that the radar targets were not the same as the visual sighting. Despite the final conclusion, the initial documentation reflects a thorough investigation, including the collection of statements from tower and GCA personnel, and coordination with other regional radar stations to eliminate possibilities such as weather balloons, aircraft, or flares.