Project 10073 Record Card — Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, 6 October 1963

This document contains a Project 10073 record card and associated correspondence regarding a UFO sighting in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, on 6 October 1963. The witness reported observing a single object for approximately 20 seconds at 1800 hours. The object was described as yellow-orange, similar to a 'bon-fire', with 4-6 whitish areas along its center. The witness noted that the object performed an abrupt change in direction, moving from an eastward path to a southward one. The witness estimated the speed at 40-60 mph and the distance at 7 miles, using the center of Philadelphia as a reference point. The witness explicitly stated that the object did not rise or fall and that there was no discernible sound. Following the sighting, the witness contacted the U.S. Weather Bureau and the Franklin Institute Astronomy Department, neither of which had received reports of a meteor. The witness also noted a light plane in the vicinity with a flashing red navigation lamp. The Air Force investigation, led by Captain Hector Quintanilla, Jr., initially considered the possibility that the object was an aircraft towing an electrical advertising banner, but noted that the duration and the sudden appearance and disappearance of the object made this explanation inconsistent. The final assessment on the record card labeled the report as 'UNRELIABLE'. The file also includes a notice from the National Investigations Committee on Aerial Phenomena (NICAP) regarding the appointment of Michael Richard Freedman as a representative for the Youth Council in Pennsylvania.