Project 10073 Record — 9 May 1966

On 9 May 1966, at 10:08:32Z, a military pilot, 1st Lt Thaddeus J. Waskiewicz of the 85th Military Airlift Squadron, observed an unidentified aerial phenomenon while flying a C-124 aircraft at an altitude of 9,000 feet. The location of the sighting was 20 degrees 30 minutes North, 176 degrees 52 minutes West, over the Pacific. The observer described the object as a round, bluish-white light, estimated to be larger than a star but comparable to a baseball in size. The object was observed for approximately five seconds in level flight before it dimmed out rapidly. The pilot noted that the object appeared to be a satellite, and no tail or trail was observed. Weather conditions at the time were reported as clear above with scattered clouds below at 8,000 feet. The investigating officer from the 6486th Air Base Wing concluded that the sighting was likely a low-orbit satellite or satellite debris reflecting sunlight until it entered the Earth's shadow, noting that the clear conditions would have facilitated such a high-intensity reflection.