Project 10073 Record — Tucson, Arizona, 10 August 1968

This document is a Project 10073 record concerning a UFO sighting reported in Tucson, Arizona, on 10 August 1968. The witness, a 37-year-old male in the real estate business, reported observing a single object while at the Prince Drive-In Theater. The object was described as a long, cylinder-shaped, orange-red light, similar to fire, and approximately the size of a jet aircraft. The witness, who claimed to have 19 years of experience as a pilot, reported that the object moved in a straight line at an estimated speed of 200 mph and an altitude between 2000 and 5000 feet. The observation lasted for approximately five minutes before the light went out. The witness provided a sketch of the object, noting a ball-shaped flame trailing behind it. The Air Force investigation, led by Lt. Colonel Hector Quintanilla, Jr., determined that there were no aircraft or balloon releases in the area at the time of the sighting. The official conclusion reached by the Foreign Technology Division was that the object was possibly a hot air balloon, noting that the wind at 2100 hours was blowing toward the southwest at approximately 3 knots. The witness expressed significant disbelief regarding the event, stating in a handwritten note, 'I would not have believed it, had I not seen it with my own eyes!' The file includes the completed Sighting of Unidentified Phenomena Questionnaire (AFR 80-17), weather data for Tucson, and correspondence from the Air Force requesting further information from the witness.