Declassified UFO / UAP Document
Project 10073 Record — Houma, Louisiana, 7 December 1966
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AI-Generated Summary
A 25-year-old civilian reported a 40-minute sighting of a cigar-shaped object in Houma, Louisiana, on December 17, 1966. The Air Force concluded there was insufficient data for evaluation, suggesting potential explanations involving tug-boat light reflections or derelict balloons.
This document contains a Project 10073 record regarding a UFO sighting reported by a 25-year-old civilian in Houma, Louisiana, on December 17, 1966. The witness observed a single, cigar-shaped object, described as having the size of a ballpoint pen, colored white and orange with a green tail. The object was observed for 40 minutes, moving in a west-to-east direction, with the witness noting it moved back and forth and disappeared for five minutes before returning. The observation was made at night while the witness was returning home from a scout meeting. The Air Force, specifically the Foreign Technology Division at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, determined that the information provided was insufficient for a scientific evaluation and requested the witness complete an FTD Form 164. Military analysis suggested that the sighting could potentially be attributed to tug-boat lights reflecting on the water, which could create distorted patterns on cloud formations. It was also noted that derelict balloons had been sighted in the area previously. Radar stations in Houma and the Montgomery Air Defense Sector reported no contacts at the time of the sighting.
The possibility of tug-boats operating in the intercoastal waterway creating diffused and distorted patterns on the cloud formation would be very great.
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Official Assessment
Insufficient data for evaluation.
The possibility of tug-boat lights reflecting on the water creating diffused and distorted patterns on cloud formations was noted as a potential explanation. Derelict balloons have also been sighted in the area in the past.
Witnesses
Key Persons
- James C. ManattDirector of Technology and Subsystems
- Samuel P. WheateChief, Operations Services