Project 10073 Record Card — New Albany, Mississippi, 5 July 1959

This document contains the records of a UFO sighting reported by a civilian in New Albany, Mississippi, on July 5, 1959. The witness observed a reddish-silver, oblong object that appeared to be roughly the diameter of the sun. The object was initially stationary in the western sky before moving in a parallel line, leaving behind a thin, fluffy white trail approximately four times its own length. The witness, a 15-year-old, attempted to track the object using 7x50 binoculars after it began to move, noting that it appeared to lose speed before disappearing into clouds. The witness described the object as having a reddish glow. Following the initial report, Major Lawrence J. Tacker of the U.S. Air Force Office of Information Services responded on July 30, 1959, stating that the provided information was insufficient for a valid conclusion. The witness was instructed to complete an official Air Force technical information questionnaire and forward it to the Air Technical Intelligence Center at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base for further evaluation. The file includes the subsequent correspondence from the witness, who apologized for a delay in returning the completed form, as well as the detailed questionnaire responses provided by the witness, which include sketches of the object's path and appearance. The official assessment remained that there was insufficient data to reach a definitive conclusion regarding the nature of the sighting.