Project 10073 Record Card and UFO Sighting Report — Charleston, West Virginia, September 25, 1961

On September 25, 1961, at approximately 1017Z, a witness identified as a chemical machine operator at the Union Carbide Chemical Plant in Charleston, West Virginia, reported an unidentified aerial phenomenon. The witness described a single, oblong, blue object, approximately two miles long and 20 feet wide, accompanied by a yellow flame tail of the same size. The object was observed at an altitude of approximately 10,000 feet, moving in a wide arc before disappearing instantaneously to the southeast. The duration of the sighting was estimated at six to eight seconds. The weather conditions at the time were reported as clear with a light haze, though drifting ground fog was present. The report was processed by the 783rd ACW Squadron at Guthrie AFS. An investigation was conducted by the Assistant Operations Officer, who concluded that the sighting was likely the result of a reflection from a large, controlled fire at the Union Carbide Chemical Plant, exacerbated by the atmospheric conditions and drifting ground fog. The investigation included inquiries with the local FAA detachment at the city airport and the Indianapolis Air Route Traffic Control Center (ARTC), both of which confirmed that no aircraft were present in the area at the time of the sighting. Local FAA and state police detachments also received reports regarding the incident. The official conclusion categorized the event as a meteor observation on the Project 10073 record card, though the detailed military report suggests the fire reflection theory as the primary explanation.