Project 10073 Record Card — Balinger, Texas, 27 December 1957

This document is a Project 10073 record card detailing a UFO sighting that occurred on December 27, 1957, near Balinger, Texas. The witness, a civilian with a commercial pilot's license and prior military service, reported observing a single, walnut-sized, intense white object for approximately one and a half minutes. The object, which made no sound, was observed moving from the northeast to the north. The witness reported that the object appeared to gain altitude before disappearing. The investigating officer, Captain Plato [illegible] of the 96th Bombardment Wing, conducted an interview and noted that the witness was credible. The report includes a hand-drawn diagram illustrating the object's flight path, which the witness explicitly labeled as 'maneuvering' to distinguish it from a balloon. The official conclusion reached by the Air Technical Intelligence Center (ATIC) was that the object was 'probably aircraft,' noting that its behavior was consistent with jet aircraft speeds and altitudes following takeoff. The document includes internal correspondence and notes from the investigation, including weather data and the witness's background, reflecting the standard procedures for evaluating UAP reports under the Air Force's Project 10073 and AFR 200-2 guidelines.