Project 10073 Record — Sighting Report, Burbank, Ohio, 3 January 1966

This document contains a U.S. Air Force Project Blue Book sighting report regarding an unidentified aerial phenomenon observed on January 3, 1966, near Burbank, Ohio. The primary witness, a civilian with a background in drafting, was traveling in an automobile with his wife on Interstate 71 when they observed a bright, white, cigar-shaped object. The object appeared in the North-Northeast and traveled in a straight, level course toward the South-Southwest before disappearing. The witnesses reported that the object made no noise, had no wings, and produced no exhaust. The observer estimated the object's speed at 500 mph and its distance at 5 miles, though these were noted as estimates only. The witness initially contacted the science editor of the Cleveland Press, David Dietz, who suggested the object might have been a vapor trail, a conclusion the witness rejected, noting that the object did not go up or down but maintained a steady course. The Air Force subsequently sent a letter to the witness on April 6, 1966, signed by Major Hector Quintanilla, Jr., stating that the initial information provided was insufficient for evaluation and requesting the completion of an FTD Form 164. The final record includes the completed questionnaire, which provides detailed sketches of the object's path and the witness's observations, including the fact that the object appeared to grow longer as it approached. The official conclusion recorded on the form suggests the object was a satellite or a probable advanced plane.