Project 10073 Record Card: Minot AFB Sighting, 29 April 1964

This document details a sighting of an unidentified aerial phenomenon that occurred on April 29, 1964, in the vicinity of Turtle Lake, south of Minot Air Force Base, North Dakota. The incident involved both a visual report from a civilian pilot and a radar track recorded by Minot AFB ground control. The civilian pilot reported seeing a light approximately 3,000 feet below their aircraft, which was flying at 7,000 feet, and noted that the light appeared to be following them. Simultaneously, Minot AFB GCA (Ground Controlled Approach) radar, using MTM-16 equipment, tracked an object at 160 degrees bearing, 15 miles out. The object moved outbound to approximately 25 miles, orbited in a five-mile circle, and then proceeded inbound to the station before disappearing from the scope. The total tracking time on the radar was approximately 5 to 8 minutes. The weather conditions at the time were reported as clear with 15 miles of visibility and no cloud cover. The Foreign Technology Division (FTD) conducted an evaluation of the incident. They concluded that propagation anomalies and equipment malfunctions could be ruled out because the target was observed both visually and by radar. The FTD analysis determined that the target's position, speed, altitude, and maneuvers were compatible with an aircraft, specifically one that might have been waiting to land. The report suggests that the lights observed were likely the landing lights of a civilian aircraft that failed to report to Minot AFB or the local international airport. The documentation includes the original Project 10073 record card, an evaluation memo from G. Kalinyak, a request for radar analysis from Major Hector Quintanilla Jr., and the incoming staff message (AF IN 14592) detailing the incident.