PROJECT 10073 RECORD CARD - UFO Sighting, Pope AFB, 3 November 1958

On the evening of November 3, 1958, personnel at the Pope Air Force Base tower observed an unidentified flying object between 2103 and 2123 EST. The object was described as a round, bluish-white light, approximately the size of a grapefruit, which exhibited varying intensity. According to the report, the object appeared on a collision course with a KB-50 tanker aircraft operating in the traffic pattern. The object reportedly passed overhead, circled to return, and then climbed until it disappeared to the southeast. The pilot of the KB-50 tanker also reported seeing strange lights in his cockpit during his final approach. The incident was observed by tower personnel using binoculars. A Sterio-Cameja camera, available in the control tower for such incidents, was not utilized due to the excitement of the personnel, and by the time the camera was secured, the object had disappeared. The report notes that the UFO presented a hazard to aircraft operating in the area. While the official conclusion on the Project 10073 record card suggests the object was a balloon, noting that the description and wind direction conformed to that analysis, the narrative report concludes with the statement that it is felt an unusual phenomenon occurred.