Declassified UFO / UAP Document
UFO Sighting Report - Mesa, Arizona, 9 April 1967
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AI-Generated Summary
A professional photographer reported a cylindrical UFO in Mesa, Arizona, on 9 April 1967. The Air Force concluded the object was a homemade hot air balloon made from a plastic dry-cleaning bag and candles.
This document is a declassified Air Force staff message dated 13 April 1967, concerning a UFO sighting reported by a professional newspaper photographer and former Air Force photo reconnaissance pilot in Mesa, Arizona. On 9 April 1967, at approximately 1950L, the observer witnessed a cylindrical, dull gray, partially transparent object, estimated to be four to six feet in length. The object remained in an upright vertical position, displaying an orange light at its base that increased in intensity before the object burst into flames and fell to the ground in burning particles. The observation lasted three to five minutes. The witness, who was driving at the time, managed to take a time-exposure photograph of the object using a Bronica camera on a tripod. The report includes detailed weather conditions and confirms that the observer was considered highly reliable due to his professional background. The investigating officer concluded that the object was a homemade hot air balloon, a 'fad' among local children who used plastic dry-cleaning bags and candles to create the effect. The message includes a formal transmittal from Major Kent C. Spears Jr. of the 3525th Pilot Training Wing to the Foreign Technical Division at Wright-Patterson AFB, confirming the submission of the photograph for analysis.
IT IS OBVIOUS THAT THE OBJECT SIGHTED WAS A PLASTIC SACK SUSTAINED BY HEATED AIR.
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Official Assessment
It is obvious that the object sighted was a plastic sack sustained by heated air. This type activity has been noted in this area in past months and is a fad with children. The children have been making hot air balloons with candles and plastic sacks obtained from dry-cleaning establishments.
The object was identified as a homemade hot air balloon constructed from a plastic dry-cleaning bag and a cardboard base with candles, which eventually caught fire and disintegrated.