Project 10073 Record: Sighting in Corvallis, Oregon, 18 October 1965

This document contains the official Project Blue Book record and associated correspondence regarding an unidentified aerial phenomenon sighting in Corvallis, Oregon, on 18 October 1965. The incident involved multiple observers, including a salesman, a secretary, and a student, who reported seeing a single object that appeared beneath a cloud ceiling. The object was described as having a 'burnt orange to orange-red' color and a shape that varied from 'parachute' to 'circular.' Observers reported that the object made a short turn to the right before fading from sight. The duration of the observation was estimated between three and ten minutes, with various witnesses utilizing binoculars and telescopes. Major Hector Quintanilla, Jr., Chief of Project Blue Book, subsequently contacted the witnesses in December 1965, noting that the Air Force was unable to reach a definitive conclusion regarding the cause of the sighting and requesting that they complete an FTD Form 164. An intelligence assessment from the Portland Air Defense Sector suggested that while 10/10ths cloud cover made meteorological explanations unlikely, the object could potentially have been a reflection of lights from a private aircraft flying beneath the clouds, despite no commercial air traffic being reported in the area at the time. The final conclusion recorded for the project was that there was insufficient data for a definitive evaluation.