Unidentified Flying Object Report — Brandon, Florida, December 1966

This document is a formal Unidentified Flying Object Report issued by the Department of the Air Force, Headquarters 833rd Air Division at MacDill Air Force Base, Florida, dated March 17, 1967. The report details a sighting that occurred in Brandon, Florida, during the middle of December 1966. The witness, a housewife with prior experience in aircraft recognition and civil defense work in Cleveland, Ohio, reported observing a single object while in her backyard. She described the object as resembling a hat with a flat top, lacking windows or openings, and being copper-colored with a dull finish. The object was estimated to be the size of a two-engine aircraft. According to the report, the object emerged from behind a cloud, remained stationary for approximately one minute, and then returned into the same cloud, never to reappear. The observer noted that there was no visible trail or exhaust, and no sound was heard. The weather at the time was described as partly cloudy, though the specific date and time of the sighting could not be recalled by the witness. Colonel Raymond A. Bradley, the Director of Operations, noted that while the witness appeared rational, the investigation was significantly hindered by the witness's inability to provide precise timing and her delay in reporting the event. Consequently, the official conclusion reached by the Air Force was that there was insufficient data for evaluation.