Project 10073 Record Card and Associated Correspondence — Sighting of 17 July 1961

This document comprises a series of military messages and a record card detailing a UFO sighting that occurred on 17 July 1961, approximately 15 miles west of Las Vegas, Nevada. The primary witnesses, a 23-year-old couple, reported observing a large, round, green object that appeared to be encased in flame. According to the report, the object approached from the south, stopped, orbited for approximately three minutes, and then descended behind mountain peaks. The witnesses claimed the object generated a powerful wind that forced their vehicle backward, caused their engine to stall, lights to flicker, and the radiator water to boil, ultimately blowing the fan belt off the pulleys. Following the event, the witnesses claimed to have located a 1500-foot diameter scorched area with a central indentation, which they interpreted as a landing site. Military intelligence teams from the 4520th Combat Crew Training Wing at Nellis AFB investigated the site and the report. While the sighting was initially linked to a brush fire in 'Level Canyon,' the Department of the Interior later designated the fire as 'Case N-517' and discredited any association with the UFO. The intelligence team found no evidence of UFO activity or significant radiation at the site. Reporting officials expressed skepticism regarding the accuracy of the witnesses' accounts, noting that the male participant admitted to substantial alcohol consumption prior to the sighting. Despite the lack of physical evidence and the witnesses' state of intoxication, the official Air Force conclusion, as stated by Major Anthony J. Busalacchi, was that the object should be considered a 'powered flight vehicle of unknown origin and purpose.' The document includes follow-up checks with local airports and military installations, all of which returned negative results for any aircraft activity that could explain the sighting. The report concludes that the sighting corresponds to the general area of operation of a UFO reported on 11 May 1961.