Project 10073 Record Card and Related Correspondence — Polk County, Florida, October 1957

This document collection details a UFO sighting that occurred on October 23, 1957, over Polk County, Florida. The incident involved a round, silver, oblong object with a red light and a trailing fuselage or gondola, which was observed by multiple civilian ground observers and a group of five pilots in a Piper Apache. The pilots, who climbed to an altitude of 16,500 feet to investigate, estimated the object was at an altitude of 50,000 to 76,500 feet. They reported that the object remained stationary for approximately two hours before ascending rapidly and disappearing. The sighting generated significant local interest and prompted inquiries from a Florida Senator's office regarding the Air Force's perceived lack of response. The Air Force, through the Air Technical Intelligence Center (ATIC), investigated the report and concluded that the object was likely a weather balloon launched in the Orlando area, despite the pilots' assertions that the object was too shiny and stationary to be a balloon. The documentation includes internal Air Force communications, intelligence reports, and correspondence with political offices, highlighting the administrative process for handling UFO reports under Air Force Regulation 200-2. The file also notes the existence of a tape recording of the initial report, which was kept in a separate file.