NUFORC Sighting 36137

Occurred: 1989-10-10 21:00 Local - Approximate
Reported: 2004-04-10 05:04 Pacific
Duration: 1 minute
No of observers: 2

Location: Centralia, WA, USA

Shape: Triangle
Characteristics: Lights on object

A huge triangularly shaped silent object that blotted out 25 degrees of the sky, lighted by four glowing points.

An old sighting. I was a System Analysis for SAC in the early 1960 and stationed at Ellsworth AFB, SD. I have held the nation's highest security clearance, take no drugs, am a tea toddler and have never hallucinated in my life. During this same time I frequently rode to and from the Minuteman silos, in South Dakota, on HP helicopters. So I have seen these aircraft up close and personal on many occasions. I have thus a many year experience with B-52s at close and medium ranges. In the late 60s I had many personal experiences with the C-5A in Georgia, where they were being designed and built. About this same time I saw the Blackbird at Elgin AFB, Fla. So when I say that what I saw over my home in Washington state early one winter night in the late 1980s or early 1990s wasn't a miliary or civilian aircraft of any known type, I am speaking with some authority.

What I saw as a very large, slowly moving delta shaped object that blotted out at least 30 degrees of the nighttime sky. The object was moving from the SSW and headed, thus, towards the NNE. This is an occasional glide path for some military aircraft head from Macord AFB, in Tacoma, about 40 NNE of my home. The object was about 20 degrees above the horizon, but appeared to move upwards as it passed nearly overhead. My young son, Max, then about eight, i.e., c. 1990, was with me. We were both in my hot tub which was located about fifty feet behind and to the West of my home at ((address deleted)) Rd, Centralia, WA. It would have been early evening about 8 or 9 PM., PST.

The object had lights at the front and "wing" tips, clearly making the "Delta" shape easy to see. What was so curious about the object was it's size and the total silence of it's travel. I have never seen a larger object in the sky. Keep in mind that I have frequently seen both B-52s and C-5As takeoff at close range, i.e., right over my head and at very low altitudes. At these altitudes these aircraft must be using full power to stay airborne and are thus quite loud. This object, however seemed to be "floating" though it was obviously not a balloon. I would describe the propulsion as "gravitational" rather than aerodynamic. There was no hint of the roar of these jets nor was there any sound similar to a helicopter or copters. No "thump/thump" of blades. I would say that this object was at least the size of a C-5A, right on the deck. However if the object was at five thousand feet, far more likely, given my impression of the object and the cloud cover that evening, which was broken with the ceiling at about 5,000 feet.

So if the object was at 5,000 ft, "gliding" slowly over head, it would have been many times larger than any C-5A. Indeed this was my impression of this "craft." The entire time I had it in sight, not long, only about one minute, my impression was of *hugeness*. The object seem to be at least a thousand feet across. It is easy to give the impression of size. The object was as large as the oak tree that stands near the hot tub and pool in the back ward. This tree covers about 25 degrees of the sky from the tub.

I add that the lights were not aircraft lights. They were not flashing, they were not port and starboard, red and green lights,. they were white, but not sealed beams pointing down, as they would have illuminated us as they passed "overhead". The "glowed." I say "overhead" because it missed being directly overhead by what appeared to be a few hundred feet, i.e., it appeared to be over my barn and not over my hot tub.

These could not have been separate objects, because the entire sky was blotted out between them. The stars and clouds disappeared between them and this "area" moved with the lights as the light moved. I could not see any metallic "underside," just darkness. Now this entire thing is complicated by the fact that I was not wearing my glasses. So I would not be able to see much detail. I can easily make out the planets, first, second and third magnitude stars. I would say these lights were at least of the brightness of Venus.

My son, however, has normal sight and I had him give me a running narrative. He saw no detail between the lights and clearly confirmed that the entire sky was blacked out between them. I have reported the sighting. NPR carried the report, nation wide, since I heard from former friends, a few years after it happened, when I attended a public meeting on UFO's at the local library (Centralia, WA).

During those years I kept a daily planner and have preserved them, so I could, no doubt pin point the date with some luck and time.



NUFORC Note:

Date is approximate. We have requested that the source of the report attempt to get in touch with some of the other witnesses. PD


Posted 2004-04-27

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