Project 100/3 Record: Sighting Report - Apache Junction, Arizona

This document consists of a series of incoming military messages regarding UFO sightings reported in Apache Junction, Arizona, on March 27, 1967. The report details two separate observations of an object described as round and emitting a bright light. The first witness, a 58-year-old retired U.S. Army member, described the object as appearing the size of a nickel at arm's length, yellowish in color, and dropping pieces of fire as it traveled from the north toward the south, then turning east before disappearing. A second sighting, reported by an 18-year-old student in Scottsdale, Arizona, described the object as basketball-sized, bright orange, and accompanied by a high-pitched fluctuating hum. The Air Force investigation concluded that these sightings were not anomalous, but rather the result of hot air balloons constructed by local children. The report explains that children were using plastic bags obtained from dry cleaning establishments and attaching candles to them to create lift. As the candles burned, they would eventually melt the plastic, causing the objects to descend and fall to the ground. The document notes that this activity had been observed previously and was spreading from the Los Angeles area toward Phoenix and eastward. The report was directed to the University of Colorado, specifically for Dr. Condon, as part of the ongoing investigation into unidentified aerial phenomena.