Project 10073 Record Card and Report of Unidentified Flying Object — Chicago, Illinois, 31 January 1963

On 31 January 1963, at 0000Z, a 12-year-old witness observed an unidentified object in the vicinity of Chicago, Illinois, specifically 6 miles southeast of Midway Airport. The witness described the object as a black, rectangular shape, approximately the size of a basketball, preceded by a single bright light. The object was reported to be highly maneuverable, initially observed at an 80-degree elevation moving northeast, then reappearing on a southeast course, veering to the southwest, and finally disappearing at a 30-degree elevation. The total duration of the sighting was 30 seconds. Weather conditions at the time included VFR, 4500-foot overcast, and light snow. The report was formally submitted by the Headquarters of the Chanute Technical Training Center to the Air Force Systems Command (FTD) at Wright-Patterson AFB. Military officials investigated the report, noting that no flight operations were filed with the Chicago Center that could account for the sighting. However, the official conclusion reached by the evaluating agency was that the object was likely an aircraft with landing lights, as the reported maneuvers, flight path, and duration were considered consistent with such an identification.