Project 10073 Record Card — 20 Sep 60 Sighting, Louisville, Kentucky

This document consists of a Project 10073 record card, a memorandum dated 21 September 1960, and a routing slip regarding an unidentified flying object sighting. The primary witness, operating a C47 aircraft at 9,000 feet, approximately 25 miles west of Louisville, Kentucky, observed three objects at high altitude on 20 September 1960. The objects were traveling from the southeast to the northwest. The witness described the primary object as having characteristics similar to a Sputnik satellite, while two smaller objects trailed it in a parallel path. The observation lasted for approximately 12 minutes, during which the objects' intensity varied from bright to dim. The witness contacted the Indianapolis Center to inquire about other aircraft in the vicinity, but received a negative response. The witness expressed skepticism that the objects could be standard aircraft, citing their speed and altitude as exceeding the performance capabilities of B52 or KC135 aircraft. Despite the witness's observations, the official conclusion recorded on the document is that the sighting was a 'probable a/c refueling operation.' A routing slip attached to the file notes that the FAA considered the objects to be nowhere near the witness's aircraft in terms of altitude and horizontal distance, despite the initial report of no aircraft in the vicinity.