Project 10073 Record Card and Air Intelligence Information Report — Chanute AFB, Illinois, August 1952

This document comprises an Air Intelligence Information Report (IR-13-52) and associated observer questionnaires regarding an unidentified aerial phenomenon sighting on 16 August 1952 at Chanute Air Force Base, Illinois. At 0003 hours, a Major (a senior pilot with 3,000 hours of flying time) and a Captain (from the Department of Weather), along with their wives, observed four unidentified objects flying in a 'Y' formation. The objects moved from east to west and remained in view for approximately 5 to 10 seconds, covering an arc of about 10 degrees of the horizon. The witnesses described the objects as oblong, bluish-gray, and phosphorescent, with a size comparable to the wingspan of a B-25 aircraft. The objects were estimated to be at an altitude of 5,000 feet. The witnesses reported that the objects made no sound, produced no exhaust trail, and did not oscillate or flicker. Notably, the objects were observed to block out the stars as they passed overhead. The report explicitly notes that the movement of the objects had no correlation with the revolving split-type beacon at Chanute AFB. The intelligence officer, 1st Lt. Forrest G. Gentry, concluded that all four witnesses were in agreement regarding the key characteristics of the sighting. The document includes detailed sketches provided by the witnesses showing the formation and the path of the objects relative to the horizon and local structures.