Project 10073 Record Card: Sighting near Childers, Texas, 15 February 1962

This document contains a Project 10073 record card and supporting documentation regarding an aerial sighting reported on February 15, 1962. The witness, Lt. Col. Ralph E. Tift, was piloting a T-33 aircraft at an altitude of 35,000 feet southeast of Childers, Texas, when he observed a light descending from an elevation of 35-40 degrees above the horizon. The object was in sight for approximately 10 seconds. According to the report, the object began to emit sparks and leave a tail after five seconds of observation. It subsequently broke into two pieces and disappeared. The report was initially received via a phone call to the SDO from Hq USAF (Col. Krouse), as noted in a memo routing slip from Major Friend. The official evaluation concluded that the phenomenon was a bolide, a type of meteor that enters the atmosphere and breaks up. The documentation includes a U.S. Air Force Technical Information Sheet (FTD Form 164) completed by the pilot, which confirms the details of the sighting and the pilot's assessment of the event.