Project 10073 Record: UFO Sighting Report - Baker, Oregon, June 1966

This document contains a collection of reports and correspondence regarding a UFO sighting that occurred on the night of June 4-5, 1966, near the Beaver Mountain Radar Site in Baker, Oregon. Multiple observers, including military personnel from the 821st Radar Squadron and local law enforcement, reported seeing a stationary, star-like object in the northern sky. The object was described as having flashing red, white, and blue lights and exhibiting slight, oscillating movement. Several witnesses, including SSGT Melvin A. Nunnery and SSGT Lean J. Kerstner, provided detailed accounts of the sighting, noting that the object remained visible for an extended period, in some cases for over two hours. Radar operators at the site reported that the object was captured on search radar, with specific range and azimuth coordinates recorded. The reports were compiled and forwarded to the Foreign Technology Division at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base for evaluation by Project Blue Book. Major Hector Quintanilla, Jr., the Chief of Project Blue Book, initially requested further information from the witnesses due to insufficient data. Subsequent correspondence from Major Arthur F. Shiflett of the 26th Air Division confirmed that all available personnel had been contacted to provide their personal versions of the event. The official conclusion reached by the Air Force was that the object was likely the star Capella, and that the perceived flashing and movement were caused by atmospheric conditions, specifically haze, combined with the object's low elevation in the sky. Despite the radar contacts, the investigation ultimately categorized the sighting as an astronomical phenomenon.