Project 10073 Record Card — Sighting Report 22 July 1961

This document consists of a Project 10073 Record Card and a supporting teletype report regarding a UFO sighting that occurred on July 22, 1961. The incident was reported by the pilot and crew of a DC-8 aircraft (Keastern 156) while en route to O'Hare Airport. The witnesses observed a small, white-reddish, oval-shaped object with the intensity of a star, positioned at an estimated altitude of 80,000 feet. The object was seen for approximately ten minutes, moving from west to east at a fast pace before fading from sight. The report notes that the pilot suggested the object might be in space. An investigation by the Senior Director of the Chicago Air Defense Sector (ADS) determined that the report was based on hearsay and lacked specific detail. A check with the CHADS weather station revealed that numerous weather balloons had been released at 0600Z by various agencies in Springfield, Peoria, St. Louis, Terre Haute, and Dayton. Given the westerly flow of air at altitudes below 80,000 feet, it was concluded that there is a strong possibility the sighting was a weather balloon released from a station west of Louisville.