Project 10073 Record Card and Report of Unidentified Flying Object (UFO) — 11 March 1963

On 11 March 1963, at 0515Z, two highly reliable R&D personnel, Captain T. L. McKewen and Captain R. S. Stuart, observed an unidentified aerial phenomenon while flying a U3A aircraft (tail number 82185) at 8,500 feet MSL near the CAMPO intersection on the V-66 airway. The observers described the object as an orange flame or light with a burst of white, resembling an explosion. The object appeared from the northwest, executed a left turn from 180 degrees to 270 degrees, and then performed a rapid climb to 25,000 feet MSL or above before fading from view. The pilots noted that the size, coloring, pattern, and intensity of the flame suggested a rocket-type engine rather than a jet. Following the report, an investigation was conducted by the 6592d Support Group (AFSC). While Los Angeles Center (FAA ARTCC) and the FAA radar facility at Miramar, California, reported no unusual flight patterns in the area during the time of the sighting, it was officially concluded that the phenomenon was a confirmed Atlas missile launch from Vandenberg. The preparing officer noted that the observers' professional background lent credibility to their report and mentioned that a TACAN holding pattern for Miramar NAS was located in the vicinity of the reported sighting.