2012-03-18 - Niceville, FL - Fireball

Amber colored silent spherical fireball rising from tree line then moving north east, seen by 2 people.

19 March, 2012 On the evening of March 18th I had just returned from Sunday night Mass. I got home at approximately 1930 hours and decided to take my Boxer dog Raja for a walk. We walk a big loop of about 1.25 miles. Toward the end of our walk in Niceville Florida we were coming down the hill on 27th street just past the Mormon Church. We were coming from the east and facing west.

About one hundred yards before reaching the corner of 27th Street and South Cedar Street I suddenly saw a large ball of fire rise from the tree line. I continued walking toward it assuming it was a small airplane from the aero club on Eglin AFB. However, I began to notice it was just hovering there silently—perhaps about one thousand feet or so above the tree line. It was amber in color and just a big ball of pulsating light. It didn’t blink in or out—but pulsed.

I have worked on aircraft for 31 years for the federal government. I also hold an FAA A&P mechanic’s license. I have seen many things in 31 years on flight lines all around the world. But I never saw anything like this.

What struck me was that this thing rose suddenly out of the tree line and hovered for a minute. It was completely silent. It had no standard aircraft lighting, no wing tip lights, no anti-collision or beacon light, nothing but its pulsating amber color.

After hovering for a minute it turned toward the north east and moved slightly faster than a small propeller aircraft, but much faster than a blimp could go. I believe it was between one or two thousand feet in altitude. As it moved north east it began to shrink down to about half its original size. I lost sight of it behind a large oak tree hanging over South Cedar Street a couple hundred yards to my right. I walked briskly in that direction but by the time I got there it had disappeared from the sky.

It flew at about a 45 degree angle when it cut across south cedar heading north east. I know it went past the high school on John Sims Boulevard (Highway 20) before it disappeared. As bright as it was it seemed as if it held all its light internally. There was no light reflection on the pavement—even though at 22:00 hours it was completely dark outside.

An elderly lady was sitting in a lawn chair on her porch at the corner of South Cedar and 27th Street. When I saw her I asked, “What is that?” She said I don’t know but it rose up from the tree line. I told her it’s not an aircraft because it’s completely silent. She said “maybe the base is experimenting with something.” I said I don’t think so. I work out there and have never seen anything like that.” She then said, “Well two of us saw it.” That’s when I went north on South Cedar Street chasing after the silent light. When I came back the elderly women had gone inside. The object initially appeared about one third the size of a full moon. It hovered for about one minute and was visible for maybe one more minute after it shrunk to about half its original size and headed north east.