Project 10073 Record — Baton Rouge, Louisiana, April 1966

On April 26, 1966, an 18-year-old resident of Baton Rouge, Louisiana, observed 10 to 12 unidentified objects in the night sky. The witness, who described himself as an avid reader of UFO reports, was in his backyard at approximately 7:50 P.M. with binoculars and a telescope when he spotted the objects. He noted that the objects appeared as small, bright dots, similar in brightness to stars, and were flying in a V-shape formation. He observed that while the objects were flying close together, one object lagged behind slightly before rapidly catching up to the rest of the group. The witness estimated the duration of the sighting to be about 15 seconds, during which time the objects traveled in an easterly direction. He reported that there was absolutely no sound and that the objects were traveling very fast at a high altitude. The witness attempted to report the sighting to a local radio station, WLCS, shortly after the event. Following his initial correspondence, he was contacted by Major Hector Quintanilla, Jr., Chief of Project Blue Book, who requested that he complete an official FTD Form 164. The witness complied, providing detailed sketches and descriptions of the event. The official Project 10073 record for this incident concludes with the classification 'Other (Birds)'.