Project 10073 Record: Sighting at England AFB, Louisiana, 29 September 1966

This document is a Project 10073 record detailing an Unidentified Flying Object sighting reported by a four-man aircrew of an AC-47 aircraft on September 29, 1966. The incident occurred at the Peason Ridge Gunnery Range, approximately 36 miles west of England Air Force Base, Louisiana. The crew, while preparing for a firing pass, observed an object hovering 100-150 feet above the ground. The object was described as having the shape of a shallow cereal bowl turned upside down, with a dome and a slight edge around its surface. It appeared translucent and grayish-white to blue-gray in color, with an estimated diameter of 20-30 feet. The object moved from east to west at speeds estimated between 60 and 80 knots. One observer noted a raised concentric circle on the top of the object. The crew initially mistook the object for an aircraft, but noted it lacked lights and did not bank like a fixed-wing aircraft when turning. The sighting lasted between 30 seconds and two minutes. Subsequent investigations were conducted with the Lake Charles weather bureau, the National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR) in Palestine, Texas, and the 6th Weather Group at Goodfellow AFB to determine if a weather balloon could explain the sighting. All three organizations confirmed that no balloon launches occurred on the date of the incident that could account for the observation. The official conclusion of the report is that there was insufficient data and a need for follow-up.