NUFORC Sighting 18228

Occurred: 2001-06-27 17:30 Local
Reported: 2001-06-28 00:00 Pacific
Duration: Five Minutes
No of observers: 2

Location: Kennewick, WA, USA

Shape: Other

Six cloverleaf shaped craft seen exiting a thunderstorm moving south at a high rate of speed

I saw the first object through the window. My first impression was that I was seeing a cluster of balloons, but there was something strange about it. Then I noticed two more clusters and stepped outside. It was then that I noticed each cluster consisted of four thin disks connected to one another in a cloverleaf type pattern. They were moving at a high rate of speed, faster than a jetliner would travel, from out of the thunderstorm to the northwest (the direction of Yakima)and into the blue sky to the southeast(toward Pendleton). They were flying at the same level the clouds were sitting, I'd say 20,000 ft and apeared to fly aerodynamically, banking side to side and turning (not rotating) but continuing on the same flight path. The three were in a staggered trailing formation, maybe a couple miles of separation but not a uniformed distance from one to the other. They were traveling the same speed however. I went inside and grabbed a pair of binoculars, when I came back out the first three were out of visual range but there were two more just coming out of the storm. I was able to focus in on one and got a good look. It kept banking back and forth in a side to side motion, it almost appeared like it was having fun doing whatever it was doing. Maybe it was fighting the wind from the storm. I didn't notice any decernable surface feautures, it appreared to be a uniform grey color, no nozzles, intakes, exhaust, windows, control surfaces, or lights. It was flat and smooth. At the flight level it was flying it looked about the size of a large private plane or a small business class jet, but moving much faster. I watched it thought the binoculars until it disappeared behind the hills in the distance. It covered the distance, thunderstorm to horizon in about one minute. I continued to look in the direction they had been coming but didn't see anything. I called my husband outside just as another one appeared from out of the storm. It flew in the same direction but the path was further south th! an the r est. By the time he saw it, it was too far away to make out anything other than a dot.

Posted 2001-08-05