UFO Sighting Report — Buchanan, Virginia, 18 January 1965

On 18 January 1965, at approximately 2300Z, three children in Buchanan, Virginia, observed an unidentified aerial object. The witnesses described the object as round, consisting of three stacked rings resembling donuts, with a dome-shaped top. The object was initially observed as small, appearing like a pea, but grew to the size of a basketball when directly overhead. It displayed a white color with a circle of red lights between the first and second rings, a circle of green lights between the second and third rings, and a white light on top. The object, which appeared brighter white when overhead, paused momentarily, descended slightly, and then ascended while continuing its flight path to the south at a high rate of speed. The total duration of the sighting was estimated at two to five minutes. The weather was clear with visibility exceeding 15 miles. Following the report, the 649th Radar Squadron at Bedford AFS, Virginia, conducted a search of the area using an AN/FPS-6 height finder radar in manual mode, but no abnormal airborne objects were detected. The mother of two of the children confirmed that no information had been released to news agencies and that the children were excited when they first arrived home. Major Hector Quintanilla, Jr., Chief of the Aerial Phenomena Branch, concluded that the report was unreliable. He noted that while he did not wish to question the veracity of the children, the lack of corroborating evidence, the absence of radar returns, and the ages of the witnesses meant the facts were insufficient to form a definitive evaluation.