Car headlights in the sky
Object appeared like car headlights as I peered horizontally through my skylight. (I was on the upper floor and didn't look up but sideways through the angled skylight.) At first I thought it was an odd reflection of a car on the street below, and for about 10-15 seconds I tried to get my bearings, figure out how in the world it was reflecting into this upward facing window. I then realized it was a flying craft.
I ran to the next skylight which I could stand directly below (inches from the glass) and continued observing the object. As the craft approached my vicinity, I noticed there were more than just the two "headlights" on the front. There was a series of six lights on the bottom of the craft about midship, in a 2x3 rectangle configuration extending from fore to aft. From either side was a light on each of what may have been the tips of a very short wingspan.
In total, there were 10 lights on the object, each off-white. (Groups were similarly colored, and each group varied in color temperature only slightly.) There were no blinking lights on the craft, and no red or green beacons, as per federal aviation regulations.
The object appeared to be about 50-100 feet above the treeline, due East, almost perfectly so. I could hear the object clearly through the window. It made a loud, low whooshing/rumbling sound unlike any aircraft I had heard before - almost otherworldly, like something you'd hear in the movies. It traveled fairly slowly, perhaps between 20-50 MPH, although this may be a poor estimate. Regardless, it was traveling FAR slower than a plane, and slower than I have seen most helicopters.
It flew over me, almost perpendicular. When it had passed over me, I could see what appeared to be two thin poles jutting out of the front of the craft in the vicinity of the "headlights." As it eclipsed my view, I quickly darted downstairs and out the door to continue my observation.
At this point, I had been observing the craft for about a minute and the trip downstairs took approximately 5 seconds. When I got outside and looked at the sky, I could no longer see the craft. I have a clear line of sight in the direction it was heading and estimate it should have taken approximately 1-2 more minutes for it to evade my sight. I also could no longer hear the object.
All said and done, I have never seen this lighting configuration before, and the sound it emitted was very odd - neither the sputter of a propeller nor the hum and hiss of a jet. I've lived near airports - large and small - all my life, and I've seen and heard a lot of aircraft, and this one was unlike any other.
Regarding this location, it is a heavily wooded and sparsely populated area and the nearest airports are 10 miles North and 15 miles South/South West respectively. There is, to my knowledge, no place within at least 5 miles to land an aircraft, even a helicopter.
((NUFORC Note: Witness elects to remain totally anonymous; provides no contact information. PD))
Object appeared like car headlights as I peered horizontally through my skylight. (I was on the upper floor and didn't look up but sideways through the angled skylight.) At first I thought it was an odd reflection of a car on the street below, and for about 10-15 seconds I tried to get my bearings, figure out how in the world it was reflecting into this upward facing window. I then realized it was a flying craft.
I ran to the next skylight which I could stand directly below (inches from the glass) and continued observing the object. As the craft approached my vicinity, I noticed there were more than just the two "headlights" on the front. There was a series of six lights on the bottom of the craft about midship, in a 2x3 rectangle configuration extending from fore to aft. From either side was a light on each of what may have been the tips of a very short wingspan.
In total, there were 10 lights on the object, each off-white. (Groups were similarly colored, and each group varied in color temperature only slightly.) There were no blinking lights on the craft, and no red or green beacons, as per federal aviation regulations.
The object appeared to be about 50-100 feet above the treeline, due East, almost perfectly so. I could hear the object clearly through the window. It made a loud, low whooshing/rumbling sound unlike any aircraft I had heard before - almost otherworldly, like something you'd hear in the movies. It traveled fairly slowly, perhaps between 20-50 MPH, although this may be a poor estimate. Regardless, it was traveling FAR slower than a plane, and slower than I have seen most helicopters.
It flew over me, almost perpendicular. When it had passed over me, I could see what appeared to be two thin poles jutting out of the front of the craft in the vicinity of the "headlights." As it eclipsed my view, I quickly darted downstairs and out the door to continue my observation.
At this point, I had been observing the craft for about a minute and the trip downstairs took approximately 5 seconds. When I got outside and looked at the sky, I could no longer see the craft. I have a clear line of sight in the direction it was heading and estimate it should have taken approximately 1-2 more minutes for it to evade my sight. I also could no longer hear the object.
All said and done, I have never seen this lighting configuration before, and the sound it emitted was very odd - neither the sputter of a propeller nor the hum and hiss of a jet. I've lived near airports - large and small - all my life, and I've seen and heard a lot of aircraft, and this one was unlike any other.
Regarding this location, it is a heavily wooded and sparsely populated area and the nearest airports are 10 miles North and 15 miles South/South West respectively. There is, to my knowledge, no place within at least 5 miles to land an aircraft, even a helicopter.
((NUFORC Note: Witness elects to remain totally anonymous; provides no contact information. PD))
No
No
No
No
No
No
No
Off
No
No
Yes
No
No
Yes
No
Tafton
USA
~1 minute
~1 minute
41.40
-75.18
cross
PA
Occurred : 12/19/2006 05:45 (Entered as : 12/19/06 05:45) Reported: 12/19/2006 3:46:08 AM 03:46 Posted: 2/1/2007 Location: Tafton, PA Shape: Cross Duration: ~1 minute Characteristics: There were lights on the object, The object made a sound
Car headlights in the sky