Project 10073 Record Card — Akron, Ohio, 5 March 1958

This document collection details an incident occurring on March 5, 1958, in Akron, Ohio, where a witness observed an object described as blue and silver foil, approximately five inches long, floating down from the sky. The witness reported the sighting to the Ohio State Highway Patrol, who subsequently recovered samples of the material. The incident was documented under Project 10073. The Ohio State Highway Patrol, specifically Patrolman J.P. Gilmartin, forwarded the recovered material to the Air Technical Intelligence Center (ATIC) at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base for evaluation. The Air Force conducted an analysis of the material and concluded that it was 'chaff,' a foil-based material used in radar operations for jamming and testing purposes. It was determined that the material had likely been dropped by Air Force aircraft during training exercises. The correspondence includes multiple letters between the Air Force and the director of a local UFO Research Organization, who had inquired about the incident after learning of the sighting. Major Lawrence J. Tacker of the Air Force's Office of Information Services responded to these inquiries, confirming the identification of the material as chaff and explaining its function. The internal Air Force routing slips confirm that the inquiry was handled in accordance with AFR 200-2, as it was considered a local matter. The documentation provides a clear administrative trail from the initial civilian report to the state police, the subsequent military analysis, and the final communication with interested civilian parties.