Project 10073 Record — Sighting Report, Columbus, Ohio, 23 August 1966

This document details a UAP sighting reported by a resident of Columbus, Ohio, on 23 August 1966. The primary witness, a sixth-grade teacher and former WWII B-29 bombardier-navigator, observed a luminous white object in the late twilight sky. The object remained stationary for approximately 15 minutes, appearing as a large star with a definite disk, which the witness noted had a center slightly darker than its exterior. Using 7x35 binoculars, the witness observed the object suddenly break apart, with five smaller, silver-metallic objects fanning out toward the west at a high rate of speed. The witness reported that the original object vanished completely after this event, leaving no vapor trails or other traces in the clear sky. Dr. J. Allen Hynek of the Dearborn Observatory at Northwestern University personally interviewed the witness and his wife. Hynek found the witness to be a credible, sensible individual whose military experience as a navigator added weight to his observations. Hynek noted that the sighting did not fit any standard patterns, such as weather balloons or known aircraft, and specifically ruled out an explosion or disintegration, describing the event instead as an 'expulsion' of objects. Hynek recommended that the Air Force's Research and Aerial Phenomena Division at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base contact local Columbus newspapers to solicit further reports, which would allow for triangulation and an estimation of the object's altitude. The report concludes that the case must remain classified as unidentified.