Project 10073 Record — UFO Observation, 2 July 1968, Tucson, Arizona

This document contains a collection of records regarding a UFO sighting reported in Tucson, Arizona, on July 2, 1968. A civilian witness reported observing a bright orange light, described as being slightly larger than a half moon, hovering for approximately five minutes before moving west over a mountain range. The witness did not report the incident to the local Air Force base until nearly a month later. Upon receiving the report, the Air Force's Foreign Technology Division, under the direction of Lt. Colonel Hector Quintanilla, Jr., requested that the witness complete an official AF Form 117 for further scientific investigation. Simultaneously, the 803d Combat Support Group at Davis-Monthan Air Force Base conducted a preliminary assessment. They noted that the report was received too late for a comprehensive investigation but verified that the U.S. Weather Bureau had released a weather balloon at 2322 MST on the night of the sighting. Based on local wind conditions, the military concluded that the balloon would have been in the area where the sighting was reported. Consequently, the official conclusion reached by the Air Force was that the object was a possible hot air balloon, and no further intensive investigation was conducted.