Project 10073 Record — UFO Observation, 19 December 1966

This document contains the official record of a UFO sighting reported by two air traffic control personnel, SSgt Lawrence A. Lungberg and TSgt Billy J. Mitchell, stationed at Columbus AFB, Mississippi. The incident occurred on 19 December 1966 at 0613Z. The witnesses, both experienced in air traffic control and radar maintenance, observed a single object moving northward. They described the object as cigar-shaped, pointed at both ends, and bright green in color, with a tail resembling that of a comet and a nose that appeared to be on fire, similar to an ICBM re-entering the atmosphere. The object was estimated to be traveling at 600-700 mph at an altitude between 1000 and 2000 feet. The duration of the observation was between 5 and 20 seconds. The witnesses reported that the object did not make any sound and eventually disappeared before reaching the horizon. One witness compared the appearance of the object to a round tent stake or an aircraft that had turned off its afterburner. The report includes completed FTD Form 164 questionnaires from the witnesses, who provided detailed sketches and descriptions of the object's motion and appearance. The official conclusion reached by the evaluating agency was that the description was consistent with that of a meteor or large fireball observation. The document also includes correspondence from Colonel James C. Manatt, Director of Technology and Subsystems, requesting additional information from the witnesses to facilitate an evaluation.