Project 10073 Record Card — 27 Jan 58, Odessa, Florida

On January 27, 1958, at 1645Z, a civilian witness, identified as a retired Army individual, reported a sighting two miles south of Odessa, Florida. The witness observed a round, white object, estimated to be approximately half the size of a large airliner. The object was initially observed traveling northwest in the trail of a large airliner, maintaining a distance of about one and a half miles. The witness noted that the object did not appear to have wings. Subsequently, the object banked to the right and traveled southeast at a very rapid rate of speed, eventually fading into the horizon. The total duration of the observation was approximately five minutes. The weather was reported as clear. Military communications regarding the incident suggest that the object may have been an aircraft. A senior director noted that there were two Navy fighters in the vicinity at the time, and it was considered a probable coincidence that the flight paths of the airliner and the other aircraft crossed at different altitudes. The official conclusion recorded on the Project 10073 record card is that the description matches that of an aircraft.