UFO Observation Report — Phoenix, Arizona, 17 June 1967

This document collection details the investigation of a UFO sighting reported by a 12-year-old boy, Stephen M. Perry, in Phoenix, Arizona, on June 17, 1967. The witness, who expressed an interest in astronomy and meteorology, reported seeing a white, self-luminous object that appeared to be a meteor but behaved unusually by blinking on and off three times before disappearing. The object was described as moving at a high speed and descending over a five-second duration. The Air Force, specifically the Aerospace Technologies Division under Major Hector Quintanilla, Jr., initially failed to investigate the report due to an administrative error. Upon receiving the report, the Air Force sought expert analysis from Dr. J. Allen Hynek of Northwestern University and Dr. Charles P. Olivier of the American Meteor Society. Both experts concluded that the sighting was most likely a meteor. Dr. Olivier suggested that the reported blinking effect was likely caused by the object passing behind very thin clouds. The Air Force subsequently classified the event as a meteor sighting, noting that the witness's subjective impressions as a young observer might have colored the objective facts of the event. The file includes the original questionnaire completed by the witness, correspondence between the Air Force and the experts, and internal memoranda regarding the handling of the case.