Project 10073 Record Card: UFO, Frick Park Area, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, 15 September 1959

On 15 September 1959, the Air Technical Intelligence Center (ATIC) investigated a reported explosion and the subsequent discovery of an unidentified object in Frick Park, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The incident began at approximately 2400 hours on 14 September 1959, when members of the Pittsburgh police, while cruising in the 6500 block of Beacon Street, heard a loud explosion. Upon investigation, they located a conical, yellow, polyethylene plastic object measuring nine inches in diameter at the base and eleven inches in height. The object featured a red flashing light, three antenna-like extensions, and a U-bolt with two feet of steel cable. The object was found in a 12-inch diameter burnt area. The Pittsburgh police initially turned the object over to the 18th AA Group of the U.S. Army, and it was subsequently forwarded to ATIC for evaluation. Detailed inspection revealed that the object contained a variety of components, including a Hilco Huntlite lantern battery container, eight Ray-O-Vac flashlight batteries, two mercury switches, a tiny 1/2000 horsepower electric motor from Wilson's of Cleveland, and a transformer from the Federal Telephone and Radio Corporation. Although the components were wired, the electric motor was not mechanically connected to anything, and the antenna and transformer were not part of the circuit. The Air Force concluded that the object was not airborne at any time and that the entire incident was a hoax. Investigators noted that the object's weight, lack of productive function, and the fact that fragile components like the light bulb remained intact suggested it had not fallen from any altitude. The Air Force determined that the red light and the whirring motor were intended to create mystery for the finder, and given the timing at the beginning of the school year, they speculated it was a prank perpetrated by college students.