Project 10073 Record — Sighting in South Laos, 18 April 1966

This document contains a Project 10073 record regarding an unidentified aerial phenomenon sighting that occurred on 18 April 1966 in South Laos. The primary witness, Major CA Sewwl of VMFA 7314, was piloting an F-4R aircraft on a 'Steel Tiger' mission in the vicinity of Ichep Airfield at an altitude of 6,000 feet. While in a left turn, the pilot observed an object at a relative bearing of 120 to 150 degrees from his aircraft, at an elevation of 45 degrees above the horizon. The object passed over the aircraft on a northeasterly course within two to three seconds before fading from sight, appearing to burn out. The pilot noted a tail of gaseous residue that was white and bordered on both sides with a streak of very bright green. The tail appeared to move with the source, similar to an afterburner or rocket exhaust. The pilot initially thought it was a comet, but later described it as being too close and too big, more like a rocket. The weather conditions were reported as five miles in haze with a scattered layer at 18,000 feet. No unusual atmospheric or electronic phenomena were detected. Captain R. C. Deyp, also of VMFA 7314, reported having observed the same or a similar object twice before in the same area and in the vicinity of Chu Lai, though he was not available for interview at the time of the report. The official conclusion for the sighting was categorized as 'Astro (METEOR)'.