Project 10073 Record Card: Red Springs, N.C. Sighting

This document collection details a UFO sighting reported on May 17, 1958, near Red Springs, North Carolina. The initial report, filed under Project 10073, described six white lights arranged in an inverted equidistant triangle, appearing to be the size of an aircraft. The objects were observed for three minutes, maintaining formation while moving from an elevation of 30 degrees at 315 degrees azimuth to 35 degrees elevation at 115 degrees azimuth. The witness was a civilian. Following the report, military authorities at ATIC (Air Technical Intelligence Center) requested further clarification from the 464th Troop Carrier Wing at Pope AFB, specifically asking if any refueling operations were being conducted in the area at the time of the sighting. Subsequent correspondence from the Ninth Air Force clarified that a refueling mission involving a KB-50 and a B-66 was indeed occurring between Columbia, South Carolina, and a point 120 miles west of Columbia. The co-pilot of the B-66, Lt. Adkins, reported observing a white-greenish light falling, which he described as looking like a pistol shot. Lt. Adkins further noted that there were many thunderstorms in the North Carolina, South Carolina, and Georgia area during the flight, and he reported several natural phenomena, including a three-foot arc of static electricity that jumped from the probe to the drogue just prior to the refueling of the B-66. He also noted that the Aurora Borealis was extremely active and visible at the time. The documents reflect the standard military procedure for investigating UAP reports by cross-referencing them with known flight operations and atmospheric conditions to determine if the sightings could be explained by conventional or natural causes.