1999-12-01 - Columbia, MO - Triangle

Visiting with friends when I looked out the patio door and saw an unusually bright light coming from the west.

Visiting with guests, I was looking out the patio door, when I noticed an unusually bright light in the western sky. Everyone, (two others), got up to look, then we all ran into the back yard. It passed very close to us, maybe 80 to 100 feet high and 300 feet away. It was quite large, 55 to 100 feet long. It moved very slowly, maybe 15 mph, allowing us a good view of the underside of the craft. There was no discernable sound. We all described the same shaped object with only a few differences. I saw a triangle with two "headlights" positioned about a third of the way back on each side, round white lights on each tip of the triangle and a red light in the center. The other two witnesses saw a triangle with a yellowish light in the center and flashing red lights around the perimeter of the craft. I lost sight of it as it moved east because I went into the house to get fourth witness. When I returned with the fourth witness the craft was already in a turn and heading southeast. He and I described the object identically, however, as it was turning I saw a bright white light drop from its right side. I did not see where the second object (light) went. The fourth witness ran into the house and dialed 911. That call was received ao 10:01P/CST. We refrred to NUFORC. (Uploaded by investigator. Note: It has been suggested that the witnesses saw a DC9 on a routine nightly flight. There is a flight that arrives at Columbia Regional Airport between 10:00 and 10:15P/CST and leaves at approximately 10:35. But airport director, Bill Boston, said that this flight would probably not be in the area of this sighting. Also at approximately 9:45P, December 1, 1999, another witness sighted a triangular shaped craft flying north over Highway 63. Each witness of these separate events drew the same type craft complete with "headlights".)