Project 10073 Record — Greenville, Vandalia, Piqua, Ohio

This document is a collection of records, including an incident report and witness questionnaires, regarding a series of sightings of an unidentified aerial phenomenon on March 27, 1966, in the vicinity of Greenville, Vandalia, and Piqua, Ohio. Multiple State Highway Patrol officers, including Patrolmen Welz, Wilhoit, and Landversicht, as well as Cadet Jordan, reported observing a bright light in the sky. The object was described as a bright white or blue-white light, initially spotted near Greenville and later observed near Vandalia and Wright-Patterson Air Force Base (WPAFB). Witnesses estimated the object's altitude at 500-600 feet and its speed at approximately 60 mph, noting that it appeared to hover and move back and forth. Patrolman Landversicht attempted to photograph the object, but the resulting film was blank. The incident was reported to the WPAFB security and law enforcement office, which coordinated with Project Blue Book. Major Hector Quintanilla, head of Project Blue Book, evaluated the reports and concluded that the object was the planet Venus. The official analysis suggested that the perceived movement and swaying of the object were atmospheric illusions experienced by the observers. The document includes internal notes indicating that the Air Force sought to protect the identities of the involved patrolmen and that the dispatcher involved in the report had a chemistry degree and initially suspected the object was the 'morning star.'