Project 10073 Record: Sighting Report - Memphis, Tennessee, July 27, 1966

This document contains a collection of correspondence and a formal sighting report regarding an unidentified flying object observed near Memphis, Tennessee, on July 27, 1966. The primary witness, a civilian, reported observing an oblong, black object with a red light and a rotating frosted light panel while driving on Interstate 55. The witness estimated the object to be 40-50 feet in diameter and noted that it remained almost stationary for approximately one minute before moving away. The witness explicitly stated that the object did not resemble an airplane and that there was no audible noise. Following the report, the Chief of the Memphis Tower, James F. Arthur, investigated the incident. He concluded that the object was likely a modified Cessna aircraft operated by the Aero-Lite Company, which utilized a large, illuminated platform for aerial advertising. Arthur noted that the tower had received over 50 telephone calls about the object during its initial operation in the area. The correspondence includes a formal referral of the report from the Federal Aviation Agency to the Commanding Officer of the U.S. Naval Air Station in Memphis, and a personal reply from Arthur to the witness, in which he explains his findings and invites the witness to visit the FAA control tower.