Project 10073 Record Card and Intelligence Report — Farmington, Utah, 23 October 1962

On 23 October 1962, at approximately 2300Z, a civilian duck hunter was at the Farmington Bay Refuge in Utah when he observed an unidentified aerial phenomenon. The witness, a 52-year-old driver for the Salt Lake Transportation Company, reported hearing a sound resembling a flock of ducks overhead. Upon looking up, he observed a gray and silver round ball, approximately three feet in diameter, approaching from the west at a speed comparable to a jet aircraft. The object was trailing what appeared to be gray or silver twine or cobwebbing with two knots. After passing over the witness, the object swerved to the southeast, accelerated to a tremendous speed, and disappeared within one to two seconds. The total duration of the sighting was approximately 20 seconds. The witness observed the object with the naked eye at an altitude estimated between 2,000 and 3,000 feet. The incident was reported to the Federal Bureau of Investigation in Salt Lake City and subsequently relayed to the Office of Special Investigations at Hill Air Force Base. A security specialist from the Security and Law Enforcement Division at Hill AFB interviewed the witness on 25 October 1962. The investigator concluded that the witness was a logical and mature individual who was convinced he had seen a tangible, non-conventional object. Meteorological data from the Weather Detachment at Hill AFB indicated clear skies with no unusual conditions that would explain the sighting. Furthermore, there were no missile test firings in the area, and US Weather Bureau balloons released that day were tracked in a different direction, ruling them out as a potential explanation. The final intelligence report, dated 30 October 1962, states that no explanation was developed for the object and no further action was contemplated unless a follow-up report was requested.