1989-04-01 - Grand Junction, CO - Changing

F.A.A. gives false report of UFO over Western Colorado

at approx. 9:30 am in the morning, I was walking west along the redlands express when I observed an object moving from the South to the North at approx. 50 mph,and at an altitude of approx 8000 ft. The weather was warm and the sky was blue with no clouds or obstructions. When I first observed the object it appeared to be a small dark mass resembling a spot the size of a pencil point. However, when it reached the vincinity of Liberty cap rock formation,which is at the top of the plateau, and is approx. 7000 ft in height, the object dived down towards the ground to a height of approx. 50 ft off the ground and in so doing changed directions and shape. While desending towards the ground the object continued to move at a speed of approx. 50 mph and had no sound associated with its movement. During the decent, the object chanded from a dark mass to gray/white appearance that had no defined shape. It appeared as though it had a electromagnetic field around it that was giving off a heat signature. When it reached the ground it changed shape to a perfect sphere that was pure white and extremely brilliant that resembled the light passing through a diamond. It maintained this appearance while traveling approx. 1 mile to the South at an altitude of approx. 50 ft. off the ground. When it stopped at the one mile mark it begain to hover and in so doing changed from a bright white flashing sphere to one of a bright orange. It continued to hover approx. 50 ft. off the ground while maintaining the brilliant burnt orange color. After approx. 10 min. of hover the sphere shot straight up into the air at approx. 200 mph and stopped at an altitude of approx. 8000 ft and started hovering again while maintaining the orange appearance. At that time a jet aircraft approached from the South and appeared to narrowly miss the flying object. When the jet passed over the hovering object, the unknow craft appeared to be as large as the front of the aircraft. After the aircraft flew pass the object, the object changed back to a brillia! nt white color which started to flash as a strobe light. It then flew off to the north at approx. 100 mph while maintaining the appearance of a flashing strobe light with no discernable appearance between flashes. The next day, an article appeared in the Rocky Mountain news that the Grand Junction area had experienced problems with the Radar system operated by the F.A.A. The F.A.A. had made a public statement that their computers had experienced a glitch that had shown flying objects over the Grand Junction area that has appeared to merge with air traffic. They wrote it off as soft wear problems. The following day, a c130 aircraft flew along the cliffs where I had observed the flying sphere. It flew at approx 200 ft. off the ground and made two passes along the cliffs in a dangerous flight path. The was the first and last time that a military aircraft was observed flying in this dangerous manner at a height and speed which would never be flown in a normal operation. I have it on good authority that the F.A.A. placed the radar data on a plane and flew it to Washington the day after the so called false sighting over Grand Junction. In summary, I am a trained observer with experience from the U.S. Army ((deleted)) operations. Also, I haved worked for ((deleted--federal employment with substantial responsibility)), and served as a police officer in Ohio. What I saw was beyond the scope of our military and industrial machine. I have never reported this sighting until now. I was afraid it would damage my reputation as I had been a candidate for ((public office, Arizona)) County and wanted to seek public office.