Project 10073 Record Card — Moraine, Ohio, 8 July 1959

On July 8, 1959, at 0400 hours local time, two employees of the Frigidaire Plant Protection Branch in Moraine, Ohio, observed an unidentified aerial phenomenon. The witnesses described the object as a 'burning tail section' of an aircraft. The object was observed moving in an easterly direction along a path parallel to Blanchard Avenue for a short duration. The incident was reported to the Air Technical Intelligence Center (ATIC) via a standard U.S. Air Force Technical Information Sheet. Following the report, the ATIC Duty Officer, 1st Lt. Orlan S. Phillips, conducted an investigative check of local air traffic. He contacted Patterson Operations, Radar Approach Control, Wright Operations, the Dayton Municipal Airport Tower, and the Montgomery County Airport Tower. All of these entities reported no aircraft in the area at the time of the sighting, although it was noted that a Logair aircraft landed at Patterson Field at 0411. Based on the description provided by the witnesses, the official conclusion recorded on the Project 10073 record card was that the phenomenon was 'probably a jet a/c w/afterburner on.' The witnesses were identified as members of the Frigidaire Plant Protection branch, and the report includes their personal details and a summary of the event as provided to the investigating officer.