UFO Observation Report — Memphis, Tennessee, December 1968

This document contains a sighting report and associated correspondence regarding an unidentified aerial phenomenon observed in Memphis, Tennessee, in December 1968. The primary witness, a 17-year-old student and Boy Scout with an aviation merit badge, reported seeing a saucer-shaped craft. The witness described the object as two saucers inverted on top of each other, approximately 500 to 600 feet in diameter, with a matte black surface and four green lights positioned at 000, 090, 180, and 270 degrees. The witness also described a small control station on top and a storage section for landing legs on the bottom. The object reportedly emitted a sound similar to an electric transformer. The witness estimated the object's speed at between Mach 1.2 and Mach 2.8 and observed it for 4 to 5 minutes. The Air Force investigation, led by Lt. Colonel Hector Quintanilla, Jr. of the Aerial Phenomena Office, identified significant conflicting data in the witness's reports, specifically regarding the date of the sighting (11 December versus 12 December) and the estimated speed of the craft. Consequently, the official conclusion for the case was recorded as 'CONFLICTING DATA,' and the Air Force determined that the information provided was insufficient for a scientific investigation.