Project 10073 Record — Gwinner, North Dakota, 13 September 1966

On 13 September 1966, an 11-year-old boy in Gwinner, North Dakota, reported observing an unidentified aerial object while waiting for a school bus. The witness described an elliptical, silvery-gray object with a glass bubble on top, approximately 36 feet in diameter. The object reportedly hovered, moved to a position 300 yards away, and landed vertically in a field before departing toward the northwest. The witness noted a low-pitched, loud whining sound during take-off and observed five flashing lights on the object. Following the report, an investigation team from the North Dakota Air National Guard, including Brigadier General Homer G. Goebel and Lieutenant Colonel Thomas E. Marking, visited the site. They discovered three ball-shaped impressions in the ground, arranged in an isosceles triangle, measuring 10 inches in diameter and 7 inches deep. The soil was compacted, and it was estimated that 1500 pounds of force would be required to create each impression. No vehicular tracks were found, and there was no evidence of heat or high-velocity wind blast. The Air Force Flight Dynamics Laboratory evaluated the findings and concluded that the symmetrical layout was consistent with a tripod-type landing gear and that the impressions could have been made by a vehicle with vertical take-off and landing capability. The report notes that electrical power was out in the area for approximately four hours during the time of the sighting. Despite investigations, the object remained classified as unknown and unidentified, with investigators noting the sincerity of the witness while acknowledging the possibility of a hoax.