Project 10073 Record Card - Sighting Report 23 March 1961

This document is a Project 10073 record card and associated operational immediate teletype report concerning an unidentified aerial phenomenon observed on March 23, 1961, at 0257Z near Davison Army Airfield. The sighting involved a single object displaying yellowish-white lights and a flashing red light. The object was observed at an altitude between 5,000 and 6,000 feet, with a flight path of 140 degrees from the airfield. The duration of the observation was approximately one minute, during which the lights were noted to fade out and reappear. No sound was heard, and no radar contact was established in the area of the sighting. The event was witnessed by several individuals, including SFC Ronald K. Parol, a tower operator, and two Army L-20 pilots, Lt. Col. W. P. Craddock and Lt. Col. R. W. Haney. A GCA operator, SPC L. B. Massey, also checked the radar and confirmed no return. The Airdrome Officer, Maj. James Buck, noted that a similar sighting had occurred on the night of March 10, 1961, involving a Davison tower operator and a civilian airliner pilot. The official conclusion for the incident is that the lights were likely a reflection off of high thin clouds, noting that heavy air traffic in the area and normal aircraft speeds were consistent with the observations.