Project 10073 Record Card and Incoming Message — Wilmington, Delaware, May 9, 1959

This document consists of a Project 10073 record card and an associated military teletype message regarding an Unidentified Aerial Phenomena (UAP) sighting reported on May 9, 1959, in Wilmington, Delaware. The report details a sighting that occurred at 0130Z. The witness, identified only as a civilian male whose reliability was noted as unknown, observed a single, round, bright light that appeared small, described as being the size of a nickel. The object was initially noticed moving from south to north. The witness reported that the object moved vertically from south to north before turning east and moving out of sight. The total duration of the observation was approximately five minutes. The weather conditions at the time were reported as clear, with winds from the north at 5-10 knots. The witness contacted 2D Lt. Henry L. Isenberg, the Officer of the Day, to report the sighting. The witness expressed hesitation about making the report but insisted that the military send a plane to intercept the object. Lt. Isenberg notified base operations, the staff duty officer, and the air police. The report notes that the witness stated there were many commercial aircraft in the area at the time. The military evaluation of the sighting, recorded on the project card, suggests that the maneuvers of the object were typical of an aircraft taking off. The document was transmitted by the 1607 Air Transport Wing at Dover Air Force Base to various commands, including the Air Technical Intelligence Center (ATIC) at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base.