Project 10073 Record — Robinson Springs, Alabama, 16 March 1967

On March 16, 1967, at approximately 2330 CST, a former Air Force pilot, aged 42, observed an unidentified aerial phenomenon four miles northeast of Robinson Springs, Alabama. The witness, whose attention was drawn to the object by his uncle, described the object as elliptical, resembling a saucer, and approximately 300 feet in length. The object featured markings along its side that appeared similar to portholes. During the 5-6 minute observation, the object hovered at an altitude of 10 degrees above the horizon, approximately two miles from the observer's position. The object exhibited a cycle of color changes, shifting from red to yellow to white, and then back to red. The witness reported that the object's dimensions appeared to contract until it eventually disappeared. The sighting occurred on a clear night. The report was received by Captain Warren J. Carter at the AU Command Post at Maxwell AFB. Lt. Col. J.M. Ahlstrom, Chief of the Intelligence Division at the 3826 CCG, noted that the observer appeared sincere and conscientious in his reporting. Following an investigation, the Acting Officer in Charge of the Maxwell Weather Station suggested that the sighting was likely caused by a lighted rawinsonde balloon released by the NASA meteorological office in Huntsville, Alabama. The intelligence division concurred with this assessment.