Project 10073 Record Card: Canton-Austinburg, Ohio Sighting

This document details an investigation into a UFO sighting reported on April 7, 1958, in the Canton-Austinburg area of Ohio. The initial report, transmitted via teletype (TT MSG INT-4-276), originated from a parking lot attendant in Canton and a housewife in Austinburg, both of whom refused to provide their names or addresses. The witnesses claimed that a cone-shaped object had fallen into a swamp. The Ground Observer Corps (GOC) investigated the area but was unable to locate any physical evidence or the object itself. Following the report, the Air Technical Intelligence Center (ATIC) initiated a formal investigation. Lt. J. E. Weaver of the Canton Filter Center contacted the 662nd AC&W Squadron at Brookfield Air Force Station. Capt. Powell of the 662nd confirmed that their radar had tracked a meteor trail that passed over the area and disappeared toward Canada. This finding was further corroborated by a local Cleveland television station. The final evaluation concluded that the sighting was a meteor. The report notes that the witnesses were anonymous and that the perception of objects falling nearby is a common optical illusion associated with bolides and fireballs, a phenomenon documented over 12 years of UFO project history. The document also mentions that Congressman Henderson of Ohio had been inquiring about the Air Force's handling of UFO reports in the region, noting that some constituents believed the Air Force was withholding information.