Project 10073 Record: Sighting of 17 September 1966

This document is a collection of reports and correspondence regarding a significant fireball event that occurred on the evening of September 17, 1966. The event was observed across multiple states, including Michigan, Pennsylvania, and Ohio, and was widely reported by civilians and military personnel. The object was described as an orange-yellow ball of light that possessed enough brilliance to illuminate the surrounding area. Witnesses noted that the object traveled from east to west, eventually turning into a stream-like shape before dipping below the horizon. The duration of the observation was approximately four seconds. The Air Force, through the Foreign Technology Division at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, investigated the event. Major Hector Quintanilla, Jr., Chief of Project Blue Book, requested further information from witnesses using FTD Form 164. The official conclusion reached by the Air Force was that the object was a meteor or bolide. This conclusion was supported by the American Meteor Society, which cataloged the event as A.M.S. No. 2391. The document also includes technical reports from the 753 Radar Squadron at Sault Ste Marie, Michigan, which noted radar returns associated with the event. These radar returns were attributed to the ionized path or wake created by the meteor, which provided a significant radar cross-section. The document contains various witness questionnaires, sketches of the object's path, and newspaper clippings detailing the public reaction, including reports from Michigan Governor George Romney, who was flying in his private plane at the time and initially feared an attack. The Smithsonian Institution also investigated the event, with researchers like E.P. Henderson and Roy Clarke providing scientific context on the nature of meteorites and the rarity of recovering specimens from such events. The file concludes that the event was a natural phenomenon, specifically a large meteor, and that the radar detections were consistent with the ionized trail left by such a body.