Mallala, South Australia, January 1954January 1954

Insufficient Data

Summary

On January 15, 1954, two separate objects were reported in South Australia, and both were forwarded to United States Air Force intelligence. The reports were handled under Project 10073, the Air Force's official file for unidentified flying object reports.

In the first sighting, near Mallala, a civilian doing farm duties saw a single silver object in straight, northerly flight. It had a yellow tail and passed overhead before disappearing in mid-air. The object was in sight only briefly. A sound like an aircraft with its motors cut off seemed to go with it. The Air Force concluded this was a probable meteor.

In the second sighting, two people in a parked car heard a faint whirring sound, then saw an object drop into view. It looked like a mushroom with a short stem and two small green lights underneath. It hovered, then rose, circled, and departed. The Air Force concluded this matched a balloon that had leaked and descended, then rose again and finally burst.

Reported location

Mallala, South Australia, January 1954

Date of incident

January 1954

State / country

? / XX

Page count

5 scanned pages

USAF evaluation

unknown

Microfilm

T1206, Roll 20

Original case file scans

Original case file · scanned by NARAPage 1 of 5

View transcribed text

of ’ ‘ : MY IMIS ee :
PROJECT 10073 RECORD CARD 1
. ‘ " H
I. DATE 2 LOCATION 12. CONCLUSIONS |
O Was Balloon :
_15Jan 54% | Malla,a, South Austra Q Probably Balloon
3. DATE-TIME GROUP 4. TYPE OF OBSERVATION O Possibly Balloon ;
O Was Airerol §
TTR RE —" XT GroundsYisval O Ground-Rodar a Probably A oft i
oMTL3/1105Z Q Ale Visvel O Air-Intercopt Radar |O Possibly Aircraft 3
PHOTO! 3. SOURS] # Was Astronomico! Meteor {
OVYes O Probably Astronomical 3
XXL Ne . OD Possibly Astrenomicol 3
a — J" aRanerTieTa ce 8 nautiiciont Bere Tor Evaloatior 4
nsutniec 0 vaelvahon he.
Mometary O Unknown 1
10. BRIEF SUMMARY OF SIGHTING 11. COMMENTS 3
Silver obj in straight flight with yellow Probable meteor (bolide) sighting. 4
tail disappeared in mid-air. Obj in sight
only monmentary. Passed overhead in Northerly
flight. Sound like a/c with motors cut assumed 3
Lo accompany ch ject. :
ATIC PORM 329 (REV 26 SEP 52) Lt
|

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Source: National Archives Catalog · NAID 28957342