PROJECT 10073 RECORD CARD 12. CONCLUSIONS 1. OA; E 2. LOCATION 0 'Nos Balloon 3. ~Ai!TJMEGROUP .._ TYPEOFOISERVATION :0~ G~aund-Vi suol 0 Ground Rod or .5. PHOTOS 6. SOURCE 0 7. l! Ofl C8SERVATION 8. NUMBEq 0, OSJECTS 'Nos Aircraft .:> P ro b<Jbl y Ai rcroh Possibly Aircraft Nos Astronomical P robobl y A stronomi col Possibly Astronomical ln~ufii~ient Oato for Evoluoflon 10. aRJI, SUMMAJtY 0, SIGHTING p 1. FOR APPROVALS. iJIS. I~.CP/)VttLS. .~RE:VC:::S. OR s:.'rlll.Ai~ . ICYI ONS :COROI.'IAT 10~ INFORMATION I NEC!SSARY I :.IG,.o\T URE ! !. a.rr:~-In line with what Major Friend told you ~,day (11 March), it appears trom preli~inar.y repo~ts , :..1.a.:. t.he Panna7l vania sightings ot 24 February were "'1.U.t'l<i by retuuin~ o~ratins or J B-47 airer,rt. _ ~eli~? Major Fri~nd is dis?&tchin! te you tday a po~ ~n that. With reapeet t~ his ather qusstinns- . ,..., han no report ,f a sighti.,& in the Ols.an are.a on .: '5 F ruary. On the 5:30 sig."tting over M1ehi1an en i -~ ?~bt".Jary, it appears te haT been a meteer and oae or~ss reoort so indicated. ./1 th .:-a terence te the Kerth Carolina ease, we lmw i .l)~n~ ~t it, and the atatement that the TV en&ineer .,~ quizzed by ATIC persnnel i3 teull7 tala. I sup.. . 134 the rest t)f his in.forma tiea is just, abeut aa :~dl.~e. It mi~t be a !eod 11ea te ask te ;~i3n the naee et ta ~n di the quizz~,& J an::az-r cc u ::!'lute3 thanc3 ncr 9st co oi::1utaa :-:1inu~aa ncr:.n, r.'lnca nor,::t HEADQUARTERS 26TH AIR DIVISION ( SAGE) UNITED STATES AIR FORCE Sl'RACUSE AIR FORCE STATION SYRACUSE, NEW YORK !JrU G u ( ' OF BAS I C ASSIGNED BY SU3 J E C T :?ennsylvania 'liFO Sighting (Airlines) rN" colun to denote revi prior to ection. Initi.l denote re~i o/ copleted ( ~ for action: ttl""' for coordinrion.) OFFICE OUT OUT IN OFFICE OUT IN OFFICE OUT IN OFFICE. 0 I tf I OINZ OIN3 OIH O l..,.llC OI,.ZX OIN3lC Maj. Tacker CO.-.ENT NO. AJ'C~-l-iJ i if neceeeery) This is the aighti~ reported by C American A1r11~es. conclusion th.at tlle ligh~s probably resulted from a B-47 refueling O":)eration t o:t''.fard ed to your of:tice eported that he si ed the objects approximately 50 of You:lgstow. at 2040 ll:nlr s. Mr. Si~tir.g object3 t.l< t-Q!l t Ohio at a,~roxi~ately 2115 hours. The tan'<ers had a groWld speed of tae distance from the of Capt sigating --;o ~<ron is &:?prox1 =netel:! 11o-120 :::dles. This could accoun~ for t~e lights being ~nto:-~u:J.at-el:t t~1e Unidentified Flying Col!Jni t tee , interviewed Ce:ot United .Urlines p:-00aol:' jis-:orted You nrobab :-?rnemoer ~ad o111 t!l this organi~ati:)n co.nnec ti ~n P~EYIOUS EDITIONS 0~ ~15 FO ~AY 3 USE~. .. - 'lhe geogxaphical eoccerned a boztdered em the north the York-Penns.ylvani& border (Dear Brad~ozd Pennsy1ven1a CD..ean, !i!v York) on tbe route o~ American Airlines F.light No ... 139 Newark, Jersey, at 7:10 p.m. o.nd arriviDg tetroit, . Jllcb:Jgan, at 10:52 p.m. On the acuth, tJda g e vgls.phical area is bordered b7 the Pit-tsburg, Penns;rJ.vanta-.Altron -Ycungst~, Qh 1 o , over-t~ovn by the Un1 ted Airline s fiights reportL~ tr~B The' n Ai r1.jnes pU "&ct!"t:im~s tl:a interm l cr the three ts ~re identical to the Belt 1n th~ ccn:otel1at1c~ Orion." ~hts vas initially manticned aa a p ossible oolutir"D by A:tr Farce .1d.th tbe qua111'y1Dg atateftlent that the report 38 tted Mil not yet been annlyzad ansl that the ~'nG1J163 cf ATIC vonld be based. upoo a ca:-q"~lete a.~Jyaia and evaluation or the written xep to be submitted. ' The pll~' s report al.e:o fn:SBeatcd the poeaibil:J'ty tlat hekbad Yitnesaed a night a eria l 1 llng L\1on ntm.17aia am 'evaluation, this s1~t1~ turned t.~llt to be B-47 type .a,irCTart n ccanj%]1ahins n1ght refUeling :trom Kc-97 tankerr 'hae '" A1r.]tnea pllat'a xeport ~the aightir.g e anf!.r!:Jed aad Atr ibrce. recorda shov that B-47 type o.irc:n:t't vere in tbe ge menti<med above on a night ref\aeli ng t1aa. 'lbe tanker baa g1 oupa at 11shta vhich at a dist..nce to be one ar ligbta. The du:."S.tion v-r o. t1an varies, can last over an h~ dep.~udi.::g 011 tbe or tiOD. The KC-97 re~ling a B-47 vill f'l.y at en alti ude of appteox!r:ately 17,000 teet at a.round 230 k!!ot o true air speed (ground ~ed 210 knots). This would account f:>r 'the lighta being approx:L~tely 30 d egrce3 . above t!:e A::llerican Ai:r} :..nt::~ pilot's hcrizon and his seeing them fer 4o minutes. This coi.:Icidee with the pUot'a report ot lev sp~ed and con:figu:ation ot obje~ts. r-Your letter al.ao aupporta thta concl.usion. The tanken had a ~ approximately 210 knots and the United Airl:f::tea I p1lot8' reported a1ghti.na it at 8:45 p.m., 50 mil.es east of ~. \ , Obi o, tel.7 120 mil ea baa Akron,. Ohio. This l.lfCitld account tor the tanker a1reratta llghta beillg sighted over \ Alcaoo at 9:15 p.m. by g:01md obaerV"era. . . . ~ -~.. were:---avaiiibie- to af1n.8d1a -r;,p:res~ntativea . ttnc~nsb the .. or preaa desk in Washington, D. C., . . ca 16 Jkzcb 1959.~ The Air l'~e 1a vell aware ot ita obligation to . -., public adeq,ately intcmtled on this subject and presa an periodically t.hcsoush tba ! t o~ I:etenae. . .,.CD, I the la t Depa1lment ot 011 1mjdentjt1e4 ~ objecta. ." ~ ~ Sincerely, I AJtll<SNCB J. TA~ l.faJ or, tJSAF Ex.acuti ve Officer PUblic tion Division ottl.ce ot Infolsnntion Serviee.s r.Jh.e 'Llnulentif~d 'J{yin.9 I.a,j o r Lawrence J . Tacker E:; ct:.tive Offic~r Public Infoi,:ration Division Office of Informa7.ion Services .Departre.nt of the Air Force r1ashington, D. C. Dear ~;ajor Tacker: On t he evening of 24 Februar-.:r 1~.59 an ~rican AirlL"lea DC 6 -:.ras i'ol- lo~.fed for ~"l.Y miles across northern Ohio and finally t o DetroJ. t by three unidentified flying objecta. All the ere~ members and also all tte passen- ~ers saw the UFOs. ~e reported objects \vere star-like, t h ree i n number, ;md kent changi.,g position relative ~o each othar. '!he ..;aota~n of ~he .tUne ric an DC 6 stated that the ~'Os definitely ~Iere not t he belt stars in the constellation Orion. I r.1ention a few details ili. t his sig..hting bacause a f e;.; -~r:>n radio :Jtations hav9 armounced that the .lir Force h a s e xplained t:-te ob ,jects seen :.s the ~el t stc.r3 i..l'l the constellation Orion. ls t1lis true ? ~s the tdr ?crce relaased a de:inite e~lanation for this sighting? Our coMmittee has on file the facts that c.ro ot:1er ccn:--.ercial aircr:1!'t in t h e .l.'a-on ~rea :llso sa:-r the three l if:hts. 1hcse ~-re!"S b o ::1 Lni ted Air- lines fli~h~3, and oo~&1 aircraf-r, '\iere L, radio c crl1u.."'llcat.:..on .ri th. each ott~er c once:-ning t:1e 3i~hti:1g. :le c.l.:o na,e on file ~ r:i.l.....,ber of crec.iable ob-