Declassified UFO / UAP Document
PROJECT 10073 RECORD - UFO Observation, September 21, 1967
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AI-Generated Summary
A civilian report of a brilliant light in the sky over Van Nuys, California, on September 21, 1967, was investigated by the Air Force. The event was officially attributed to a Minuteman I missile launch from Vandenberg Air Force Base, with the visual effects caused by light interacting with the missile's vapor trail.
This document details a Project 10073 record concerning a UFO sighting reported by a civilian in Van Nuys, California, on September 21, 1967. The witness described observing a brilliant white light in the northwest sky at 7:50 PM, which appeared to explode into a large gaseous blue and green cloud. The witness wrote to Major Hector Quintanilla, Jr. at Wright-Patterson AFB on September 22, 1967, requesting an explanation for the occurrence. Following an investigation, which included a call to Vandenberg Air Force Base, the Air Force concluded that the sighting was not an anomalous aerial phenomenon but rather the result of a Minuteman I missile launch. According to the official response signed by Colonel James C. Manatt, the visual effect was caused by light passing through the missile's vapor trail, a phenomenon that can be observed over long distances. A memo for the record dated September 26, 1967, notes that Sgt. Hayden at Vandenburgh AFB confirmed the launch occurred at 1928 local time and that such effects, while not common, are known to occur with this type of missile.
These unusual formations are produced by light passing through the vapor trail of the missile and not by a missile blowing up.
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Official Assessment
Your sighting was probably caused by a missile which was launched from Vandenberg Air Force Base at the approximate time of your observation. These unusual formations are produced by light passing through the vapor trail of the missile and not by a missile blowing up.
The sighting was identified as a Minuteman I missile launch from Vandenberg Air Force Base, with the visual effect caused by light passing through the missile's vapor trail.
Witnesses
Key Persons
- Hector Quintanilla, Jr.Major, USAF
- HaydenSgt.