PROJECT 10073 RECORD CARD — Sighting Incident, 10 April 1958, Lake Charles, Louisiana

This document is a collection of records and teletype reports concerning a sighting on April 10, 1958, in Lake Charles, Louisiana. A civilian witness, an engineering aide, reported observing a flaming object traveling at a high rate of speed from west to east. The object was described as teardrop-shaped, initially light blue, then turning blue-green, and finally appearing as a bright silver object with a bluish-white flame. The witness reported that the object broke into two separate bodies approximately five seconds after the first observation and was completely consumed in flames about ten seconds later. The object was estimated to be between 28,000 and 40,000 feet in altitude.

Multiple reports were consolidated regarding this event. A pilot of a Navy jet from Pensacola Naval Air Station also reported seeing the object break into four or five parts while emitting a bluish-white flame. Additionally, three passengers on a Delta Air Lines flight reported seeing a flaming object at 7:29 A.M. EST. The incident generated significant interest, with references to Sputnik II and inquiries made to the Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory, which stated that Sputnik II could not have been the object seen. The Air Base Group Staff Operations Officer concluded that the object exhibited all characteristics of a bolide (meteor), though it was also suggested it could have been a high-flying jet aircraft. Handwritten notes on the documents suggest the object had balloon characteristics, moved with the wind, and that the short duration of the sighting was due to buildings blocking the observer's view. The document includes a photograph of a balloon, which appears to be part of the evaluation process.