Project 10073 Record Card: Flaming Object Sighting, Philippines, 30 July 1963

This document collection details the investigation into a reported 'large flaming object' that crashed into the jungle in Agusan Province, Mindanao, Philippines, on July 30, 1963. Initial reports from local residents and press accounts suggested an aircraft crash. The Strategic Air Command (SAC) and other Air Force units investigated the incident, cross-referencing it with missile launch data from the Pacific Missile Range. It was determined that an Atlas ICBM, nicknamed 'Big Flight', had been launched from Vandenberg AFB on July 31, 1963, into the Pacific. The investigation concluded that the reported flaming object was likely an optical illusion caused by the reentry vehicle of the missile following a curving downward trajectory. The documents include a Project 10073 record card, internal Air Force incoming messages, and a memorandum for the record by Max Boyd, which outlines the coordination between SAC, the Air Attaché in Manila, and the DOD Press Desk to manage public and press inquiries regarding the incident.