2000-06-25 - Trochu, AB - Other

Not an fixed or rotary wing aircraft carrying out authorized flight.

Heavy rainfall, cloudbase approximately 1000 agl. Object moved at high rate of speed, just below cloudbase, approx. 300+ knots. Changed course from approx. 310 to approx. 280 then disappeared over the horizon.

((NUFORC Note: Supplementary message copied below. PD))

Dear Sir:

At midnite on June 24, 2000 myself and two others witnessed a flying object
that exhibited controlled flight characteristics. As a commercial pilot
and flight instructor, I know what is and is not an aircraft. Given the
extremely poor weather conditions, its location and direction of flight,
the complete lack of any sound or proper lighting, and its' very low
altitude at a high rate of speed, I thought it would be proper to submit a
report to your offices, which we did in July, although for some reason it
has not been posted in your reporting database.

What is of extreme interest to me personally is the following report:

Occurred : 6/25/2000 00:45 (Entered as : 06/25/00 00:45)
Reported : 6/29/2000 09:02
Posted : 7/11/2000
Location : CALGARY, AB
Shape : Unknown
BRIGHT LIGHT TRACKS FROM WEST TO EAST IN SOLID OVERCAST

AT 12:45 AM A LIGHT DECSENDED INSIDE SOLID OVERCAST, THE LIGHT WAS SO
BRIGHT IT LIT UP THE CLOUD. THE OVERCAST WAS ABOUT 6000 FEET. IT REMAINED
STATIONARY IN THE CLOUD FOR 2 TO 3 SECONDS AND THEN PROCEDED TO TRAVEL FROM
THE DIRECTION OF WEST TO EAST. IT DID NOT COME OUT OF THE CLOUD,AND STAYED
ON AN EASTERN TRACK UNTIL I LOST SIGHT OF IT. ALSO THERE WAS NO SOUND
EMITTED FROM THE CRAFT. I CALLED AIR TRAFFIC CONTROL AND THEY INFORMED ME
THAT THERE WAS NO SCHEDULED TRAFFIC IN THE AREA AT THAT TIME.

Someone else in Calgary has apparently seen the same thing, about half an
hour or so after we did. He is correct on the wx at the time: Calgary's
altitude above sea level is 3439 feet, with solid overcast about 1000 AGL
in heavy rain and lightning. The object we saw was below the cloud deck,
moving at about 300+ knots, was lit white, had no visible nav lites, made
no sound, and carried out two course changes before leaving the area. It
was too fast for a helicopter, too low for a jet, and far too quiet. The
nearest military aerodrome that operates anything that would move that
quick is CFB Cold Lake, some 400 miles north of our position. Again, the
F-18's that they operate would certainly have been audible and have been
properly lit, even if for some reason they chose to fly at night in such
poor conditions, low to the ground at a high rate of speed.

I don't know what your policy is regarding contacts between the authors of
the reports you list, but if its' possible I would like to compare notes
with the author with what we saw, just on a curiosity basis alone. I've
never witnessed anything like what we saw, and I have lived and breathed
aviation in all of its' aspects for as far back as I can remember.

Thank you for your consideration

Best regards,
((name and title of aviation professional deleted))