Project 10073 Record — Milledgeville, Ga, 3 May 1966

On May 3, 1966, at 1707Z, a civilian observer in Milledgeville, Georgia, reported a sighting of an unidentified flying object. The witness, a 31-year-old financial management specialist, described the object as a saucer-shaped, aluminum-silvery craft that resembled the top of a garbage can without a handle. The object was initially observed suspended in the sky at approximately 35 degrees above the horizon. The witness reported that the object remained stationary for about 50 seconds before moving directly away, decreasing in apparent size from a dime to a BB shot. It then ascended rapidly—estimated at a thousand feet—and moved northeast before disappearing into a cumulus cloud. The entire observation lasted eight minutes. The witness explicitly stated that the object did not glow or change color, except for the reflection of the sun on its metallic surface. No sound was reported. Air Force investigators noted that two twin-engine aircraft had departed from the nearby Baldwin County airport around the time of the sighting, traveling north. Investigators suggested the possibility that the witness observed these aircraft reflecting sunlight. However, the witness remained adamant that the object was not an aircraft or a balloon, noting that its performance was unlike any known aircraft. The official conclusion of the Air Force was that there was insufficient data for a formal evaluation, primarily because the witness failed to return the required FTD Form 164 despite a follow-up request from Major Hector Quintanilla, Jr., Chief of Project Blue Book. A secondary, handwritten note on the record also suggests the possibility of a balloon launch from Macon, Georgia.