Project 10073 Record Card - Sighting Report 10 March 1959

This document consists of a Project 10073 Record Card and an associated teletype message regarding an Unidentified Aerial Phenomenon sighting that occurred on March 10, 1959. The incident took place 25 miles west of Galena, Alaska, at approximately 0554Z. The witness, Captain Phillip W. McIntosh of the 317th Fighter Squadron, reported observing a single object described as an orange ball with a tail that was eight to ten times longer than the object itself. The witness compared the size of the object to a quarter. The object was observed at an altitude of 35,000 feet, maintaining a level flight path toward the north. The entire observation lasted for approximately three seconds before the object appeared to burn out. The report notes that there were no photographs taken, no radar contact, and no evidence of electromagnetic or physiological effects. The weather conditions at the time were reported as broken clouds at 3,500 feet and an overcast layer at 6,000 feet. The official conclusion reached by the evaluating agency, the Air Technical Intelligence Center, was that the characteristics of the sighting—specifically the description, flight path, and short duration—were typical of a meteor. The document was originally classified as unclassified and includes administrative markings indicating that the classification was later cancelled under authority DER 205-01.