NUFORC Sighting 17113

Occurred: 2001-03-11 15:00 Local
Reported: 2001-04-03 00:00 Pacific
Duration: 15 seconds
No of observers: 2

Location: Avra Valley, AZ, USA

Shape: Chevron
Characteristics: Landed

I noticed a big black V making a banking turn then descend and dissapear behind the treeline.

On March 11 My wife and I took our 2 boys down to Avra Valley to stay with my wife's parents over spring break. We left early enough to go to Sunday school and church. We always exit Interstate 10 at the Pinal Air park exit and then turn south on Trico road. That morning there were a lot of military vehicles and personnel parked on Trico road right next to the air park. It looked like a military reserve thing. After church and lunch at the Grandparents my wife and I started back to Mesa around 3:00 PM. The military vehicles were gone by now. We were going North on Trico at about the Trico Marana road intersection when I noticed this aircraft making a banking turn and then descend below the tree line just like any normal airplane would to make a landing. BUT this was not like any aircraft I have ever seen. As soon as I saw it I immediately thought of the famous Phoenix lights incident, from the images shown on TV. I hollered to my wife look at that, but she didn't see it until it was a profile and didn't get a good look. The profile was strange too, it didn't seem to jive with what it looked like from the top. I have attached a JPEG I created of the the shape I saw when the aircraft was in its banking turn. The aircraft was solid black with no lights or windows that I could make out, but we were still pretty far away. When we got on I-10 I did notice a Cessna at about the same altitude I saw the black one in its bank and in comparison the black aircraft was much larger. I've been stewing over this ever since I saw it. I would be glad to tell anyone what I saw.

Posted 2001-04-28