NUFORC Sighting 11020

Occurred: 1999-11-16 19:10 Local
Reported: 1999-11-17 00:00 Pacific
Duration: 20 seconds
No of observers: 6

Location: Lake Simcoe (50 mi east of) (Canada), ON, Canada

Shape: Light
Characteristics: Left a trail, Aircraft nearby

From an Airbus 320 cockpit at 31000 ft. we observed a series of 6 to 7 bright burning stars moving in tandem at a relatively slow speed from west to east a little above us. They were well spaced and they were following exactly the same path and speed of the leading star. It was like the first light was towing the others. It was reported to the Toronto Air Traffic Control. We were approximately 100 miles east north east of Toronto at the time on airway J546 aprox. 50 miles east of the YSO vor navigational facility.

From an Airbus 320 cockpit at 31000 ft. we observed a series of 6 to 7 bright burning stars moving in tandem at a relatively slow speed from west to east a little above us. They were well spaced and they were following exactly the same path and speed of the leading star. It was like the first light was towing the others. It was reported to the Toronto Air Traffic Control. We were approximately 100 miles east north east of Toronto at the time on airway J546 aprox. 50 miles east of the YSO vor navigational facility. On Air Canada flight 175 from Montreal to Toronto at approximately 19:10 hrs. local time (00:10UTC) on November 16th, 1999 while at cruising altitude of 31000 ft. heading westbound on a clear sky condition, at approximately 50 nautical miles east of the YSO vor (Lake Simcoe area), the captain and I (first officer) saw at our 10 o'clock position approximately 30 degrees above us a series of 6 to 7 lights looking like very bright burning stars following each other in tandem moving steadily but relatively slowly eastbound in a level attitude. They seemed to be going relatively at the speed of normal aircraft crossing traffic. They went by us on the left and we lost site of them as they moved to our 7:30 position. We had those lights in sight for about 20 seconds. While we we observing the phenomena we heard Lufthansa flight 470 report the sighting to Toronto air traffic control center. Their aircraft was about 5 miles to the right of us at 35000 ft. also going westbound as they reported seeing the lights to the left at roughly their altitude. ATC responded that there was nothing special on there radar. While we still had the lights in sight, we also reported the sighting to air traffic control and shortly after another aircraft in the area did the same but we did not note its flight number. It was a very spectacular sight and something that we had never experienced before. We were speculating at the time that it might be a satellite or space debris coming crashing down in the atmosphere.

Posted 2000-12-02