Report of Sighting of Unidentified Flying Object - 3 January 1958

This document is a formal record of an Unidentified Flying Object (UFOB) sighting that occurred on January 2, 1958, near Centralia, Illinois, in the vicinity of Scott Air Force Base. The report, compiled by the 1405th Air Base Wing, details observations made by six individuals, including military personnel and a civilian truck driver. The witnesses reported seeing a single object that appeared to be a bright flash of light, described variously as an inverted comma or a spheroid, with colors shifting between reddish-white, blue-white, greenish-blue, and orange-white. The object was observed for a duration of approximately five to ten seconds, during which it performed a vertical descent without maneuvers. Several observers noted a tail or trail of sparks and smoke. No sound was reported by any of the witnesses. The report notes that the sighting occurred under clear, cold, and frosty night conditions with a bright moon. The Air Weather Service provided wind data for various altitudes, but no radar contact was made by any military units on the installation. The investigation concluded that the object was a meteorite. This conclusion was supported by the consistency of the observer reports and corroborated by contemporary media accounts of a meteorite falling in the area at that time. The document includes a Project 10073 record card, a formal transmittal letter from Scott Air Force Base to the Air Defense Command, and a detailed breakdown of the sighting characteristics as specified by Air Force Regulation 200-2. Additionally, a teletype message (UNCLAS 2246FS-2-A-61) is included, which references information obtained from an Eastern Air Lines flight, further supporting the identification of the object as a meteorite.