Project 10073 Record Card — Ansted, West Virginia, 25 May 1964

On May 25, 1964, at approximately 8:30 PM, a civilian witness in Ansted, West Virginia, observed a falling object while driving. The witness described the object as a ball of fire, approximately 2 to 3 feet in diameter, with a 40-foot-long tail. The object was reported to be as bright as a welder's arc or a magnesium flare, and the witness noted a sensation of intense heat. The object fell vertically and was visible for only 1 to 2 seconds. The witness, who had prior experience in spotter plane identification during World War II, reported the sighting by letter to the U.F.O. office of the Army Air Force in Washington, D.C. The witness also noted that a jet had flown over shortly before the sighting, leaving a trail in the sky, and speculated that the object might have been a rocket, satellite, or meteorite. The U.S. Air Force Foreign Technology Division evaluated the report and concluded that the object was a meteor. The evaluation cited the short duration, the flaming tail, and the vertical trajectory as consistent with a meteor. While the division acknowledged that a vertical fall is rare, they maintained that it did not rule out a fireball observation. The report includes a completed U.S. Air Force Technical Information questionnaire, a personal letter from the witness, and official correspondence from the Foreign Technology Division to the witness and the Air Force headquarters.