Project 10073 Record: Unidentified Flying Object Report - 18 August 1966

On 18 August 1966, at approximately 1952 local time, a civilian witness in Tijeras Canyon, New Mexico, observed a brilliant white object moving from east to west. The witness, a 48-year-old research illustrator and former commercial pilot with 11,000 hours of flight experience, initially suspected the object was a satellite but ruled this out due to its trajectory. He subsequently identified it as a high-altitude aircraft, though he found the lack of engine noise and the presence of a continuous nose landing light in daylight to be highly unusual. The object was observed to have a large white nose light, a smaller white light beneath it, and a smaller red light above. Later in the observation, a bright rotating white light appeared beneath the object before it suddenly vanished. The witness reported the incident to the FAA and the Air Route Traffic Control Center, neither of which had records of aircraft in the area at that altitude. The Air Force Special Weapons Center at Kirtland Air Force Base investigated the report, noting the witness's professional background and the lack of radar confirmation for the object. The official conclusion recorded on the Project 10073 form was 'Possible (AIRCRAFT),' with a recommendation for further investigation due to the quality of the witness's account.