Project 10073 Record Card — Hoquiam, Washington, August 1959

On August 30, 1959, at approximately 2055 local time, a civilian observer at the FAA station in Hoquiam, Washington, reported a sighting of four or five unidentified objects. The objects were described as having a bronze to reddish color and were observed for a duration of 20 minutes. During the sighting, the objects were noted to perform a 'tail chase' maneuver before reforming into an irregular formation. The observer reported that the lights gradually faded off and on until they eventually faded out of sight. The objects were initially spotted while the observer was conducting a weather observation. The elevation of the objects was recorded as 5 degrees above the horizon, and they were observed traveling north. No sound was reported, and no trail or exhaust was observed. Weather conditions at the time were favorable, with unlimited ceiling and visibility exceeding 15 miles. The report was processed under Project 10073 and transmitted via teletype from Flight Service at Hamilton Air Force Base to various Air Force intelligence commands, including the Air Technical Intelligence Center at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base. The official conclusion recorded on the project card states that all characteristics of the sighting pointed toward the identification of the objects as aircraft.