Project 10073 Record Card — Mankato, Kansas, 4 Jan 58

This document contains a Project 10073 record card and subsequent correspondence regarding a UFO sighting reported by a civilian near Mankato, Kansas, on January 4, 1958. The witness, who was traveling east on Highway 36, reported observing a large, luminous object that appeared to be stationary above the horizon for approximately five minutes. The witness described the object as having a shape and size similar to a strato-cruiser, with distinct aerials, one of which featured a white light at the top. The witness attempted to photograph the object, but it disappeared in an irregular line before the camera could be focused. The witness subsequently wrote to Wright-Patterson Air Force Base to inquire about the nature of the phenomenon. In a response dated February 24, 1958, Major Lawrence J. Tacker of the United States Air Force informed the witness that the object was likely a WR-2 radar-search aircraft, noting that its configuration is similar to that of a strato-cruiser. The Air Force provided the witness with illustrations of the aircraft and a Department of Defense fact sheet from November 1957 to support this conclusion.