Vandenberg Sighting Report — October 6, 1967

This report details a series of UFO sightings and radar contacts that occurred at Vandenberg Air Force Base, California, on the evening of October 6, 1967. The events began at 2000 hours with a visual sighting of an object over the ocean, which was reported by multiple witnesses, including Atherton and Payer. The object was described as having red and green lights, appearing elliptical, and remaining stationary. Following the visual report, missile-tracking radars, including the FPS-16 and TPQ-18, were directed to search the area and subsequently acquired multiple targets. These targets exhibited velocities ranging from 0 to 80 knots and were tracked for over four hours. Air Defense Command scrambled three flights of fighters to investigate, but they reported no visual contact with any objects. The report, prepared by Loren W. Crow for the University of Colorado's UFO Investigation, provides a detailed meteorological analysis of the conditions on the night of the incident. Crow concludes that an inversion layer and specific atmospheric conditions were present, creating an environment favorable for optical mirages and anomalous radar propagation. The report suggests that the visual sightings were likely caused by mirage effects, possibly from ship lights below the horizon, and that the radar targets were likely birds or atmospheric echoes. The author emphasizes that the high signal strengths observed on radar were associated with targets at close range, a fact that was initially overlooked by operators. The report concludes that the events were a result of atmospheric conditions rather than unidentified aerial phenomena, and it commends the operators for their handling of the situation under pressure.