Project 10073 Record Card and UFO Follow-up Report — Downing, Missouri, 26 January 1960

This document comprises a Project 10073 Record Card and a formal follow-up report regarding a UFO sighting that occurred on January 26, 1960, near Downing, Missouri. The primary witness, a 56-year-old farmer described as reliable, reported observing a round, silver object approximately the size of a 10-inch dinner plate. The object was sighted at an altitude of two miles, floating at a 45-degree angle for a duration estimated between 30 minutes and one hour. The witness reported that the object moved toward the southeast before disappearing. No sound was heard, and no exhaust was visible. The report was investigated by Major Theodore P. Welgoss of the 790th Radar Squadron (SAGE) at Kirksville Air Force Station. Major Welgoss noted that there was no logical explanation for the sighting based on the initial report, though he attempted to follow up with the observer. The official conclusion reached by the Air Force was that the sighting was consistent with a balloon observation, suggesting that the witness may have misjudged the direction of travel. The documentation includes detailed meteorological data for the area at the time of the incident, including visibility of 15 miles and specific wind conditions at various altitudes. The report was submitted to the Air Technical Intelligence Center at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base in accordance with Air Force Regulation 200-2.