2006-05-29 - Miami, FL - Fireball

Red/White Ball seen from Passenger Plane, 4PM, over Miami Int. Airport, Memorial Day 06, approach.

Object was witnessed by airline passenger, port side, facing Easterly. On final approach to MIA, at about 3:55 PM, while plane was making final 180 degree turn, at approximately 4 to 3000 feet altitude, a glowing red-white ball crossed our path. This crossing was below us, at approximatly 2000 feet, and at the general center point of the radius for which our airplane was turning around. This fire-ball appeared to be traveling northbound, paralleling the SR-997 to the East. If we were traveling at 222 mph, I estimate the ball was traveling 120 mph. No change in vector was observed of the ball. If I were able to have streched out my arm, and pinched my fingers together and opened them a bit, the gap would have been 1/4 to 3/8 inch. If that ball was 1500 feet away from my eye, it might have been 10 to 15 foot in diameter. The lumens given off pulsated strongly from red to white to read, with no observed briliance disipation.

Wether conditions were overcast, no direct sun. Thunder clouds were starting to form at that time, and sky darkened by the 5 oclock hour. No rain fell at airport, and no thunder or lightening was abserved by me durring the 2 hours I remained at the airport, awaiting a connection. 85F, cloudy, still air.

I made special effort to disprove what I was seeing. I do have 20/20 vision, and I am not color blind. I was not drinking or druging at the time. I witnessed this ball for more than half the duration of the 180 degree turn the aircraft made, aproximately for 45 seconds. The angle of the object, with respect to the floor of the aircraft, was just below the parallel of the floor, and drifting rearward. The object left my view when we continued across its path and onward to the airport.

Below where the ball was seen are active surface mines, with associated lakes of varying shades of green to grey. These may be cement or sand or shell bed mines, I am not sure. It was labor day, and 4 of the 10 mines there showed activity with dump trucks and conveyors. The mine imediately below the object did not appear to be active.

The plane was full, and I was in seat 32A. I was interested in speaking with the pilot, but the cabin was still shut when I exited the plane. At the time, I did not feel the need to wait for the pilot, for I needed to catch the next plane, in a different terminal. I also thought he'd think I was insane.

I did not feel alarm while observing this ball, but I did feel like this may be a ufo probe mapping the planet running concentric passes, around and around.

No powerlines were visable to me in the area. I have e-mailed a MapPoint sketch of the area where it was.

As I write this I have thought of possible glide path markers that would indicate were pilots need to turn for approach at night. This is a good piece of doubt to ponder. It was daylight out, and I did not see any tower structures at all.