Project 10073 Record: Sighting Report - Aiken, South Carolina, 14 March 1968

This document is a collection of records concerning a UFO sighting reported on 14 March 1968 in Aiken, South Carolina. The primary report, filed under Project 10073 (Project Blue Book), details an observation made by a civilian who was a former Air Force radar operator. The witness reported seeing a bright, round, yellow light at approximately 0115Z, which moved instantaneously to the southwest. The observation lasted for two minutes. The investigating officer, MSGT James V. Snowden of the 861 Radar Squadron, noted that while the observer was considered reliable due to his military background, the information provided was scarce. The investigation involved contacting various local agencies, including Shaw AFB, the Aiken Municipal Airport, and the Augusta Airport. It was determined that a DC-9 flight from Columbia to Atlanta and local squadron flights were operating in the Aiken-Augusta area at the time of the sighting. Given the hazy weather conditions and the high overcast, the investigator concluded that the sighting was likely a conventional jet aircraft that may have strayed off course. The case was officially resolved as a conventional aircraft sighting, and no further investigation was deemed necessary. The file also includes correspondence between the Aerial Phenomena Office and the witness, who expressed frustration with the Air Force's handling of the report, stating that he had provided all the information he knew and suggesting that the Air Force already knew the nature of the objects.