Project 10073 Record Card — MacDill AFB, Florida, 16 March 1958

This document is a collection of reports and teletype messages regarding an Unidentified Aerial Phenomenon (UAP) sighting that occurred on March 16, 1958, in the vicinity of MacDill Air Force Base, Florida. Multiple witnesses, including military personnel such as Captain Malcolm E. Toof and S/Sgt Robert M. Toppman, reported observing a stationary object in the sky for approximately 30 minutes. The object was described as having an inverted pear or egg shape, appearing white and changing to a reddish-orange color. Witnesses noted that while the object appeared to be the size of a pea to the naked eye, it appeared to be the size of a dime when viewed through binoculars. The object was reported to be at a very high altitude and made no sound. The sighting generated significant interest, with reports that people throughout the city of Tampa contacted MacDill AFB regarding the object. The official investigation, conducted by the Air Technical Intelligence Center (ATIC), concluded that the object was a weather balloon. The report notes that the visual characteristics—specifically the color changes and the perceived shape—were consistent with a balloon being illuminated by the setting sun at dusk. Investigators emphasized that the observers were viewing the object through scattered cirrus clouds, which, combined with the lighting conditions at dusk, created optical illusions well-documented by the Weather Bureau. The report includes references to Weather Bureau schedules confirming a balloon release in the Tampa area at the time of the sighting. The documentation serves as a standard record of a UAP investigation, illustrating the process of gathering witness testimony, assessing meteorological data, and arriving at a conventional explanation for the reported phenomenon.