Project 10073 Record Card — Portland, Oregon, 24 July 1958

On July 24, 1958, at approximately 0529Z (9:30 P.M.), a 38-year-old school custodian's helper in Portland, Oregon, reported observing nine unidentified objects. The witness described the objects as inverted, shallow-bowl shaped, light grey in color, and approximately the size of a Piper Cub. The objects were initially seen in a 'V' formation at an elevation of 40 degrees, heading 355 degrees. During the 20-25 second observation, the witness noted that the objects had two rims—one on top and one halfway down—and made no sound. The objects subsequently descended, broke formation, formed an 'entrail' pattern, made a sharp turn, and increased speed before disappearing in three to four seconds. Investigative efforts included checking aeronautical charts, which revealed that the objects' path aligned with Air Traffic Airway Amber 1. The 4770th GOS, Detachment 3, in Portland, confirmed that a flight of Air Defense Command (ADC) planes was conducting maneuvers in the area that night with a flight plan destination in California. The final Air Technical Intelligence Center (ATIC) evaluation concluded that the objects were aircraft. The report suggests that slender-fuselage aircraft with thin wings can appear as wingless objects against a dark sky, and that the observed flight path was consistent with local air traffic patterns. Despite an initial note on the record card stating that no plausible cause could be determined, the final summary explicitly categorizes the event as an aircraft sighting.