Project 10073 Record Card — Tuscaloosa, Alabama, 16 May 1958

This document consists of a Project 10073 record card and associated teletype communications regarding an aerial sighting reported on May 16, 1958, in Tuscaloosa, Alabama. A civilian witness reported observing a red ball of fire with a 50-60 foot tail or exhaust traveling north. The observation lasted between 5 and 10 seconds. The report was initially received by Tuscaloosa radio, which indicated that approximately four other individuals had reported the same phenomenon. The incident was subsequently reported to the 35th Air Division at Dobbins Air Force Base. A military aircraft operating out of Birmingham reported seeing a flash of light in the area but did not observe the object itself. The official conclusion reached by the operations office at Maxwell Flight Service Center and the Air Technical Intelligence Center at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base was that the object appeared to be a meteor. The documentation includes detailed weather data for the time of the sighting, noting 8/10 cloud cover and 10 miles of visibility. The report was finalized on May 18, 1958, under the reference number ROEMBJ 119.