Project 10073 Record — Sighting Report, Clovis, New Mexico, 8 July 1966

On 8 July 1966, at approximately 0358Z, A2C Douglas P. Millard, an aircraft mechanic with the 27th FMS, observed an unidentified flying object while at Hillcrest Park in Clovis, New Mexico. The witness described the object as cigar-shaped, resembling a missile, with a size comparable to a straight pin held at arm's length. The object was observed flying with its long axis parallel to the ground, moving from the southwest to the northeast. The witness noted that the object appeared to be at an altitude of approximately 30,000 feet, consistent with that of a B-52 aircraft. The object exhibited a red-white flame color and possessed an incandescent exhaust trail approximately five times the length of the object itself. The observation lasted for about one minute, during which no sound was heard. Weather conditions in the immediate area were described as a clear, star-filled sky, despite thunderstorms occurring in the distance. Following the report, the 27th Tactical Fighter Wing forwarded the details to various Air Force commands, including the Foreign Technology Division (FTD) at Wright-Patterson AFB. Colonel Warren S. Wheeler, Deputy for Technology and Subsystems, directed that local activity be investigated to determine if it could account for the sighting, stressing the importance of both positive and negative findings. The official conclusion reached by the Air Force was that the description was consistent with that of an aircraft observation.