Investigation of Reports on Unidentified Flying Objects — Procedures

This document is a memorandum from the Department of Civil Aviation, dated March 14, 1967, addressed to the Regional Director of the Queensland Region. It outlines the established procedures for handling reports of unidentified flying objects (UFOs) in Australia. The memorandum clarifies that the Royal Australian Air Force (R.A.A.F.) holds primary responsibility for investigating such reports, as they are best equipped to assess them against local phenomena, weather conditions, and aircraft movements. To improve the investigation process, the Department of Civil Aviation agreed to a cooperative arrangement. Under these procedures, if a Regional Office receives a UFO report, it must be referred to the nearest R.A.A.F. base. Furthermore, if the Department of Civil Aviation possesses information relevant to a sighting, such as pertinent aircraft movements, it is to be forwarded to the R.A.A.F. without delay. Conversely, if the Department of Civil Aviation receives a report directly, it is to be referred to the Department of Air. The document also includes a file cover sheet indicating the file number 70/3877 and a report of a meeting from November 1963 regarding general procedures for technical examination of aircraft components and reporting unusual occurrences, which serves as context for the administrative handling of such incidents.