Project 10073 Record Card — 17 July 1958 Sighting

On July 17, 1958, at 0910 GMT, an unidentified object was sighted at coordinates 16.0N 76.5W. The sighting was reported by the crew of a US Coast Guard vessel, including the Chief Radio Officer, the Second Mate, and two Able Seamen who were on bridge watch. The object was observed for approximately eight minutes. Initially, the object was heading East, positioned between the stars Capella and Venus. It then changed direction to the Northeast by East before disappearing at 0918 GMT. The witnesses described the object as having an undetermined shape, surrounded by a white haze. It emitted three white lights with trailing rays, one of which was at least eight degrees in length, while the other was approximately two-thirds that length. The witnesses reported that there was no sound and that the object did not resemble jet aircraft exhaust. Despite the presence of a force six easterly wind, the object did not break up. The sky was clear at the time of the observation, with air and sea temperatures recorded at 82 degrees Fahrenheit and a wet bulb temperature of 79 degrees. The Air Technical Intelligence Center (ATIC) reviewed the report under Project 10073. Their assessment concluded that while there was a strong possibility that the object was an aircraft, the provided evidence was insufficient to confirm the nature of the sighting. Consequently, the case was closed due to a lack of sufficient data.