Project 10073 Record Card: Sighting near Cleburne, Texas, 20 November 1957

On 20 November 1957, at approximately 21/0300Z, a civilian observer located two miles south of Cleburne, Texas, reported a sighting of an unidentified aerial object. The observer, identified as an Air Force reservist and a Convair service engineer, described the object as round to oval in shape, roughly the size of a pea, and emitting a white glow. According to the report, the object maintained an original level flight path before climbing at a rapid rate and eventually leveling off. The observer noted that the light appeared to be 'chopped short' and suggested that something might have been behind the light. The duration of the sighting was approximately ten seconds. Weather conditions at the time were reported as clear and unlimited. The report was submitted in accordance with Air Force Regulation 200-2. Intelligence officers evaluated the report and concluded that the object's behavior, specifically its speed and maneuvers, did not correlate with any aircraft known to be in the area at the time. Furthermore, a balloon released from Goodfellow AFB was deemed unlikely to be the source of the sighting. Despite these observations, the official conclusion recorded on the Project 10073 record card categorized the event as a meteor sighting. The documentation includes a hand-drawn sketch by the observer illustrating the object's flight path, including the level flight, climb, and subsequent leveling off, with a note suggesting the object was likely a high-speed jet due to its maneuvers.