Project 10073 Record: Sighting Report - San Angelo, Texas, 18 November 1966

On November 18, 1966, at approximately 0010Z, a civilian witness reported observing an unidentified aerial object near San Angelo, Texas. The witness, a 58-year-old woman, described the object as a bright orange, round, basketball-sized entity that appeared like a setting sun in the distance. According to the report, the object moved from the northeast to the southwest and disappeared in an instantaneous flash after a few seconds. The witness was at her ranch, located 15 miles west of San Angelo, when she caught the object in the corner of her eye while sitting in her living room.

The investigation was conducted by Captain William F. Rice, the Operations Duty Officer, who interviewed the witness and her husband, a retired M.D. The official conclusion reached by the Air Force was that the object was an astronomical phenomenon, specifically a meteor. The report highlights significant concerns regarding the reliability of the witness. Her husband suggested that the report would not have been filed had the witness not been drinking. During the interview, the witness reportedly appeared irrational, accusing her husband of calling her a 'lunatic' and discussing unrelated topics. Captain Rice noted that the witness seemed to believe he was attempting to discredit her. The report also mentions that there were three other people present who saw the object, though the witness was the only one who filed a report. Local flight activity from Mathis Field was noted in the area at the time of the sighting, but the final assessment remained that the object was a meteor.