Project 10073 Record — Albuquerque, New Mexico, 26 July 1965

This document is a Project 10073 record concerning a UFO sighting reported by a civilian in Albuquerque, New Mexico, on July 26, 1965. The observer reported seeing an object at approximately 0412Z that appeared as a trail of fire, specifically described as a solid stream of yellow to white sparks. The object was observed for 6 to 8 seconds while moving under cloud cover. The witness noted that the object was initially descending to the north, but then abruptly changed direction to the southeast and appeared to climb before disappearing. The report includes a formal cover letter from Major Saul Faktorov, Chief of Safety at the Air Force Special Weapons Center, Kirtland Air Force Base, forwarding the report to the Foreign Technology Division (FTD) at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base following a telephone conversation with Sergeant Moody. The official conclusion reached by the evaluating agency was that the object was a meteor, and the reported maneuvers—specifically the change in direction and the climb—were dismissed as an optical illusion that occurred as the meteor burned out.