Project 10073 Record Card — Lawton, Oklahoma, 7 March 1953

This document consists of a Project 10073 record card and associated teletype correspondence regarding a UFO sighting reported on March 7, 1953, in Lawton, Oklahoma. The witness, a civilian, reported observing a V-shaped object, approximately the size of a basketball at arm's length, moving from the southeast to the northwest. The object was described as having an orange flame trailing down its side, with additional small balls of fire appearing in both the front and back of the main object. The observation lasted for approximately 30 seconds. The report notes that the object appeared to explode over the vicinity of Sweetwater or Cheyenne, Oklahoma. The military investigation, conducted by the 746th ACWRON at Oklahoma City Air Force Station, involved 1st Lieutenant C. Rowlinson. The official conclusion reached by the Air Technical Intelligence Center (ATIC) was that the phenomenon was likely a bolide, or fireball. The documentation includes a hand-drawn sketch of the object's trajectory and appearance, as well as administrative teletype headers confirming the transmission of the report to the Air Technical Intelligence Center at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base and Headquarters USAF in Washington, D.C. The report emphasizes the limited nature of the data provided by the witness, which ultimately led to the classification of the event as a probable fireball.