Project 10073 Record Card and Related Correspondence — Lake Pepin, Wisconsin, February 1958

This document collection details the investigation into a UFO sighting that occurred on the night of February 22, 1958, near Lake Pepin, Wisconsin. Initial reports described a teardrop-shaped object, ranging in size from a plate to a rocking chair, displaying white, red, and bright green colors with a black edge and a long tail. Witnesses reported a sound like an explosion upon impact and the appearance of a steam or vapor cloud at the impact site. The 31st Air Division (Defense) initiated an investigation under the provisions of AFR 200-2. Investigators, including Lt. Col. R. Schumacher and Capt. Walter C. Neumann, conducted field interviews in Red Wing, Frontenac, Lake City, and Maiden Rock, Minnesota and Wisconsin. They interviewed several local residents, including a 65-year-old member of a junior astronomy club who claimed to have seen the object fall. However, investigators found this witness to be potentially unreliable due to his health and age. Other witnesses consistently described the phenomenon as a fireball. A search of the lake ice by the game warden and local fishermen yielded no evidence of an impact, such as holes or debris. The investigation concluded that the object was likely a meteor that penetrated the Earth's atmosphere at a low altitude. The Air Technical Intelligence Center (ATIC) expressed frustration over the delay in receiving the final report, noting that the 31st Air Division had not initially requested assistance from the 1006th AISS as required by regulations. The final consensus among military intelligence was that the incident was a natural phenomenon, and no further recovery actions were taken.