UFO Report — Tampa, Florida, 17-18 October 1966

This document is a formal UFO report submitted by the 15th Tactical Fighter Wing at Macdill Air Force Base, Florida, to the Air Force Systems Command (Foreign Technology Division) at Wright-Patterson AFB. The report details a sighting by a 30-year-old civilian housewife in Tampa, Florida, occurring between 2325 hours on October 17, 1966, and 0245 hours on October 18, 1966. The witness reported observing eleven objects over a period of three hours and ten minutes. Ten of these objects were described as 'donut-shaped' and appeared to be hollow in the center, while the eleventh was described as a circle of white light. The witness noted that the objects were larger than the lights of passing airliners and exhibited alternating red, yellow, and green colors. One object, referred to by the witness as a 'mother ship,' reportedly emitted a flash of green light. The observer provided a hand-drawn diagram and a key to document the movement and positioning of the objects relative to local landmarks like trees and a TV tower. The investigating officer noted that the witness appeared rational. However, the official conclusion suggested that the sightings were likely misidentifications of astronomical bodies, specifically the star Canopus and the planet Jupiter, or satellite activity, noting that the satellite Echo I passed north of the area at 0556Z. The report concludes that there had been a 'rash of sightings' in the Tampa-St. Petersburg area during this period.