Project 10073 Record Card: National City Airport, California, 23-24 May 1958

This document consists of a Project 10073 record card and associated teletype reports regarding an unidentified aerial phenomenon observed at the National City Airport in California on the night of May 23-24, 1958. The primary witnesses were two patrolmen from the Crawford Detective Agency, who reported observing a round, silver-white object performing circling and vertical movements for approximately ten minutes. A subsequent report noted a red, orange, and white oval object in the same area. The witnesses were considered reliable. Military investigators from the 751st ACWRON and the Air Technical Intelligence Center evaluated the reports. Radar units in the area were checked with negative results, and no radar contact was established. The investigators noted that the reported maneuvers were inconsistent with a balloon. They suggested the object might have been an aircraft circling for a landing or a searchlight beam reflecting off broken clouds. However, because the specific amount of cloud cover was not provided in the initial reports, the investigators concluded that there was insufficient data to reach a definitive identification. The documentation includes internal military communications and a summary of the sighting characteristics, emphasizing the lack of radar confirmation and the potential for atmospheric or conventional aircraft explanations.