Project 10073 Record Card and Operational Immediate Reports — April 1959

This document collection details an Unidentified Aerial Phenomena (UAP) sighting reported on 6 April 1959, near Travis Air Force Base, California. The primary report, transmitted via an 'Operational Immediate' message, describes a round object emitting a white flame and white sparks, which was observed by tower operators James Ledbetter and Charles T. Edward. The witnesses reported the object at an altitude of 4,000 to 5,000 feet, moving from the North-Northwest to the South-Southeast before it disintegrated into three pieces. The observation lasted approximately 10 seconds. The incident was formally investigated by Captain Loris L. Dorris of the Hamilton AFB Flight Service Center. Captain Dorris concluded that the object was a meteor that had penetrated the earth's atmosphere. This conclusion was supported by similar reports received from tower operators at Stead AFB, Mather AFB, and the Reno Air National Guard Base. The document includes a Project 10073 record card, which categorizes the event as a meteor, and internal correspondence between the Air Technical Intelligence Center (ATIC) and the 1902nd AACSRON regarding the transmission of the report parts. Additionally, the file contains a reference to a news article from the Dallas Times Herald, which reported a meteor falling near Foffett Field, California, on the same night, noting that observers at a Naval Air Station spotted the object at 8:45 P.M. (PST) and saw it break into three pieces. The military investigation noted a discrepancy between the time reported in the press and the time recorded by the military station, but otherwise found the accounts consistent.