NUFORC Sighting 21010

Occurred: 2002-01-03 21:35 Local
Reported: 2002-01-05 01:15 Pacific
Duration: 20min
No of observers: 1

Location: Richmond/Bowdoin, ME, USA

Shape: Chevron
Characteristics: Lights on object, Aircraft nearby

CHEVRON SHAPED OBJECT WITH BLIDING LIGHT AND NO SOUND FLYING AT VERY SLOW RATE OF SPEED OVER RICHMOND-BOWDOIN, MAINE

I OBSERVED A BLINDING LIGHT VERY HIGH IN THE HORIZON WHILE TRAVELING FROM EXIT #26 SOUTH ON INTERSTATE #95 FROM RICHMOND, MAINE TO EXIT #25 IN BOWDOIN, MAINE. THE LIGHT WAS STATIONARY & I THOUGHT IT WAS AN AIRCRAFT LANDING LIGHT, A SEARCH LIGHT OR POSSIBLY A TOWER LIGHT BUT REALIZED THAT IT WAS TOO HIGH ON THE HORIZON TO BE A TOWER LIGHT EVEN THOUGH IT WAS STATIONARY. AT THIS TIME AND FOR THE NEXT SEVERAL MILES, THE LIGHTS DID NOT CHANGE IN SIZE OR INTENSITY. THERE WERE BLINKING RED & GREEN LIGHTS DIRECTLY ON EITHER SIDE OF THE BRIGHT CENTER LIGHT FLASHING IN A REGULAR PATTERN AND APPEARED TO BE DIRECTLY ADJACENT TO THE CENTER LIGHT RATHER THAN OFFSET FROM IT.

WHEN I EXITED I95 AT EXIT #25 SOUTH, I PULLED OFF TO THE SIDE OF THE ROAD BEHIND TWO OR THREE OTHER CARS & TRUCKS THAT HAD ALSO STOPPED TO LOOK AT THIS OBJECT, I WATCHED AS IT BEGAN TO MOVE DIAGONALLY FROM SOUTHWEST TO NORTHEAST VERY SLOWLY IN THE DISTANCE. AT THIS POINT I EXTED MY TRUCK AND OBSERVED IT FROM THE ROADSIDE ON FOOT WHILE SPEAKING TO YOUR OFFICE VIA CELLPHONE. IT THEN CHANGED DIRECTION AND FLEW ALMOST DIRECTLY OVERHEAD.

AT THIS POINT I COULD SEE THE SHAPE OF THE OBJECT FROM BELOW AND IT APPEARED TO LOOK LIKE A WEDGE OR CHEVRON WHEREIN I COULD MAKE OUT WHAT LOOKED LIKE A PAIR OF SWEPT WINGS ATTACHED TO A CENTER FUSILAGE WITH SOLID WEBBING BETWEEN THE WINGS AND THE FUSILAGE. THE LENGTH OF THE APPENDAGES OF THE VISIBLE OBJECT APPEARED TO BE EQUALATERAL WITH A SLIGHT CURVITURE OF THE WEBBING AT THE TRAILING EDGE. ALL OF THE UNDERSIDE SURFACES OF THE OBJECT SEEMED TO BE EQALLY WELL LIT WITH A DIFFUSED LIGHT AND THE SURFACES APPEARED TO BE SILVER-GREY BUT CLARITY AND LIGHT QUALITY FADED AT THE PERIFERY OF THE OBJECT. THERE WERE NO DICERNABLE MARKINGS OR OTHER INDICATORS ON THE OBJECT OTHER THAN THE VISIBLE "WHITISH" LIGHT NEAR THE LEADING POINT OF THE OBJECT AS WELL AS THE BLINKING RED & GREEN LIGHTS NEAR THE LEADING POINT. THE CLEAREST DESCRIPTION OF THE OBJECT I CAN RENDER AS IT FLEW OVERHEAD IS AS THOUGH SOMEONE SHINED A SPOTLIGHT DIRECTLY UPWARD AT THE UNDERBODY OF A SWEPTWING AIRPLANE AND ONLY ILLUMINATED THE CENTER PORTION OF THE PLANE.

THE OBJECT FLEW VERY SLOWLY OVERHEAD AND APPEARED TO PROCEED IN AN ELLIPTICAL PATH FROM SOUTH TO NORTH THEN SOUTH AGAIN RATHER THAN CIRCULAR SINCE THE VISIBLE CHANGE IN DIRECTION BETWEEN NORTH AND SOUTH WAS ALMOST IMMEDIATE AND DIDN'T APPEAR TO ALLOW TIME FOR A WEST TO EAST ARC. THE PATH OF TRAVEL BETWEEN NORTH AND SOUTH WAS ABOUT THE SIZE OF FOUR BASKETBALLS (WHEN HELD AT ARMS LENGTH). THE MOON WAS NOT VISIBLE (AS A REFERENCE OBJECT) FROM THIS VANTAGE POINT AND THERE WAS AT LEAST ON STREET LIGHT NEARBY AT THE COMMUTER PARKING AREA.

THERE WAS NO DICERNABLE SOUND FROM THE OBJECT AS IT FLEW OVERHEAD. IT WAS IMPOSSIBLE TO JUDGE THE ALTITUDE OF THE OBJECT OR ITS RELATIVE SPEED. THE OBJECT APPEARED TO BE MOVING VERY SLOWLY WHEN CONSIDERING THE RELATIVE CLARITY AND SIZE OF THE VISIBLE UNDERBODY AS IT PASSED OVERHEAD. THE RELATIVE SIZE FROM MY VANTAGE POINT WAS APPROXIMATELY EQUAL TO THE SIZE OF A QUARTER WHEN HELD AT ARM'S LENGTH. THE SKY WAS EXTREMELY CLEAR WITH SEVERAL CONSTELLATIONS CLEARLY VISIBLE.

UNTIL I SAW THE UNDERBODY, I THOUGHT THAT POSSIBLY THE OBJECT WAS A POLICE OR SEARCH HELICOPTER WITH A SEARCH LIGHT GIVEN THE SLOW RATE OF SPEED, THEN WHEN IT FLEW OVERHEAD I THOUGHT THAT IT WAS POSSIBLY A SEARCH OR TRAINING FLIGHT FROM THE BRUNSWICK NAVAL AIR STATION. BUT REALIZED THAT IT MIGHT NOT BE, GIVEN THE EXTREMELY SLOW RATE OF TRAVEL.

I HAVE IN THE PAST OBSERVED SWEPT WING (MILITARY) CARGO AIRCRAFT FLYING (VERY) LOW OVER THE TOWN OF RICHMOND, MAINE (AFTER THE 9/11/01 ATTACKS) TRAVELING TO OR FROM BRUNSWICK N.A.S., BUT THE SOUND COMING FROM THOSE AIRCRAFT WAS ENOUGH TO STARTLE (OR IMPRESS) YOU AS THEY FLEW OVERHEAD. TRAFFIC ON I95 WAS EXTREMELY LIGHT AT THAT TIME OF NIGHT AND THERE WAS LITTLE OR NO ROAD NOISE TO MASK THE ENGINE SOUND OF A PLANE OR HELICOPTER THAT WOULD FOLLOW AFTER A PLANE PASSED OVERHEAD.

THE OBJECT MADE TWO CIRCLES OF THE FLIGHT PATH THEN DISAPPEARED OVER THE TREELINE.

MY BACKGROUND IS CONSTRUCTION INDUSTRY MANAGEMENT/ENGINEERING/TECHNICAL AND I AM A FORMER EMS PROVIDER.

NUFORC Note:

We spoke at length with this witness, and we found him to be both lucid and credible. PD

Posted 2002-01-11