Project 10073 Record Card — Burlington, West Virginia, May 26, 1959

This document contains a sighting report filed under Project 10073 regarding an event that occurred on May 26, 1959, at 12:47 A.M. Eastern Daylight Time. A civilian witness, located on U.S. Route 50 approximately two miles west of Burlington, West Virginia, observed an unusually brilliant light in the sky. The witness described the object as appearing to fragment into a tail as it fell. According to the witness, the object moved in a direction almost due south and fell slightly to the west of perpendicular, eventually disappearing behind a low range of mountains. The witness explicitly stated their belief that the object was a large meteor. The Air Technical Intelligence Center (ATIC) evaluated the report. The official conclusion reached by the investigators was that the object was an astronomical meteor. The analysis notes that while it is standard policy to classify reports with only a single witness as having 'insufficient evidence,' the specific details provided by the witness regarding the meteor-like behavior led the investigators to accept the witness's own assessment, noting that they saw no reason to disagree with the conclusion that the object was a meteor.