Project 10073 Record — Sighting near Tichnor, Arkansas, 12 April 1966

This document contains a Project 10073 record regarding an unidentified aerial phenomenon reported by a civilian geologist and his son on April 12, 1966, near Tichnor, Arkansas. The witnesses, who were driving southward on State Highway 130 toward LaGrue Bayou for a turkey hunt, observed a bright, steady light in the southeastern sky between 4:45 A.M. and 6:30 A.M. The primary witness, a former Army Intelligence (ASA) member, described the object as appearing like a bright star positioned between the ground and the cloud cover. He noted that the object remained stationary and was visible until sunrise. The report includes a formal questionnaire completed by the witness on June 26, 1966, detailing the observation conditions, including the presence of cloud cover and the witness's assessment that the light was stronger than that of Venus. The documentation also includes a memo from the 825th Strategic Aerospace Division (SAC) at Little Rock AFB, which forwarded the initial report to the Foreign Technology Division (FTD) at Wright-Patterson AFB. Major Hector Quintanilla, Jr., Chief of Project Blue Book, subsequently requested that the witness complete a formal FTD Form 164 for further evaluation. The final conclusion recorded by the Air Force on the Project 10073 record identifies the object as the planet Venus, noting its position at 115 degrees azimuth and 15 degrees elevation.