Project 10073 Record — UFO Report, Blytheville, Arkansas, 24 October 1966

On October 24, 1966, at 0020Z, a civilian observer in Blytheville, Arkansas, reported a sighting of an unidentified aerial object. The witness, a 44-year-old housewife described as completely reliable, was in the front yard of her home when her son, Robert McCarn, first noticed the object and drew her attention to it. The object was described as star-like, bright like the morning star, and appeared to be divided in the center while remaining intact. The witness observed the object for approximately one minute as it traveled from the southwest to the northwest, moving essentially overhead from south to north before disappearing into clouds. The observer estimated the speed to be in excess of 1,000 miles per hour and the altitude to be very high. The witness was adamant that the object was not an aircraft. Two B-52 aircraft from the 97th Bombardment Wing were airborne in the local area at the time, but the report notes that intercepts would have been futile given the estimated speed and duration of the sighting. The Air Force investigation concluded that the object was a satellite, specifically identifying it as ECHO II, noting that the description was consistent with a satellite, although official schedules for satellites visible in the Blytheville area were not available at the time of the report.