Project 10073 Record Card — South Charleston, West Virginia, 22 September 1959

This document contains the official Air Force record for a UFO sighting reported by a 14-year-old civilian in South Charleston, West Virginia, on September 22, 1959. The witness, while observing the stars with a neighbor, noticed a very bright green object with a bright yellow tail. According to the witness's account, the object appeared to be about the size of a large star, traveled in a straight line heading west, stopped for two or three seconds, then shot forward and disappeared behind the horizon. The total duration of the sighting was approximately 10 seconds. The witness reported that the object made no sound and estimated its altitude at 10,000 feet and its size at 200 to 300 feet. The witness also noted that they had seen similar objects several times during the summer. Following an initial letter from the witness to the Department of the Air Force, Major Lawrence J. Tacker requested that the witness complete a formal Air Force Technical Information Sheet. The witness complied, providing detailed sketches of the object's motion and appearance, comparing it to a fifty-cent piece held at arm's length. The Air Force evaluated the report under Project 10073 and concluded that the characteristics described—specifically the bright green light, the tail, and the apparent explosion—were consistent with a bolide, or a bright meteor. Consequently, the case was officially closed and categorized as a meteor.