Project 10073 Record Card — Plymouth, North Carolina, 10 January 1959

On January 10, 1959, at approximately 1810 hours, a civilian observer participating in the 'Moonwatch' program reported an unidentified aerial phenomenon near Plymouth, North Carolina. The witness, a truck driver, described observing a round, white-hot object, approximately 36 inches in diameter, traveling from the northeast toward the southwest. As the object neared the observer, it reportedly burst into multiple colors and began shedding particles, while simultaneously emitting yellow sparks from its tail at intermittent intervals. The object maintained a flat trajectory at a low altitude before disappearing below the tree line. The duration of the sighting was estimated at approximately one minute. The report notes that other individuals, described as 'boys from Fort Jackson,' also witnessed the object while driving on Highway 301, reporting that it appeared to be coming directly at them, causing them to briefly swerve before continuing their journey. The Air Technical Intelligence Center (ATIC) at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base reviewed the incident. In a letter dated February 2, 1959, Major Lawrence J. Tacker of the USAF Office of Information Services informed the observer that the initial report contained insufficient information to reach a definitive conclusion and requested that a formal questionnaire be completed. However, the internal project record card for Project 10073 ultimately categorized the event as a meteor, specifically a 'bolide,' noting that the available description was sufficient to support this classification despite the lack of further information.