Project 10073 Record Card — Boise, Idaho, 4 May 1964

On 4 May 1964, a series of reports regarding unidentified aerial phenomena occurred in the vicinity of Boise, Idaho. Initial reports, broadcast by local television stations, described a reddish-orange fireball descending into the Seamans Gulch area on the northwest outskirts of Boise. Witnesses, including reliable sources reported to the Sheriff of Boise, described the object as having flames shooting downward and moving in a manner that suggested a landing rather than a simple fall. The reports prompted an investigation by officials at Mountain Home Air Force Base. Following the widespread news coverage, a KBOI-TV news reporter named Dwight Jensen contacted the investigating officer. Jensen revealed that an unidentified man had reached out to him to clarify the nature of the sighting. The man admitted that he had set off a surplus marine flare, which possessed a 20,000 candle power rating, specifically to demonstrate it to his son. The flare was equipped with a 12-foot parachute, which accounted for the slow, controlled descent observed by the public. Upon receiving this explanation, which Mr. Jensen found to be authentic, the investigation into the incident was suspended by Mountain Home AFB officials. The case was officially closed with the determination that the sighting was not a UFO, but rather a flare.