NUFORC Sighting 47039

Occurred: 2005-10-16 19:46 Local
Reported: 2005-10-17 01:53 Pacific
Duration: 1 minute
No of observers: 1

Location: Santa Maria, CA, USA

Shape: Oval


Dark oval like shape moving both fast and slow at night.

I saw something extraordinary tonight, Sunday, October 16, 2005, in Santa Maria, California, and I want to report it.

First, let me say a few things about myself: I know something about aircraft. I am an aviation enthusiast, and I am always observing things in the air. Professionally, I am a ((deleted--media person, involved with cameras and production)). One of the subjects I ((deleted--interested in)) is aircraft and air-shows. In the past few months I have shot F-18’s flying at extreme rates of speed, Harriers going more up than out, high level bombers cruising at altitude, and, of course, the slower and more conventional vintage war birds. I do this work as an officially ((specialty deleted)), not just an enthusiast. I am not an aviation know-it-all, but I have carefully observed most known aircraft, including rockets and space shuttles. What I saw tonight doesn’t fit into any known aircraft category in any way.

I stepped out into my back yard after 7:25. I wandered toward the west and I saw something streaking from south to north. It was not lit up like an aircraft should be, and it was moving faster than anything I‘ve ever seen. It wasn’t too far away, but that was hard to judge (maybe a few blocks?). It was moving so incredibly fast that I might have thought it was an aberration in my eyes, but then I saw it slow down and head more easterly.

Every hair on my body stood up perpendicular to my body. It wasn’t static electricity, it was the chills. I was terrified at that moment. I ran under the big tree to hide from it. I stayed there for about 10 seconds, but I couldn’t stand it. I went northerly to get out from under the tree, and there it was--almost due north of me! It was traveling east-south-easterly at a more normal rate of speed, like a small Cessna would.

There were absolutely no lights visible, inside or outside. I couldn’t see any windows or markings of any kind. It was relatively hard to see, and even if I’d have had my TV camera with me, it probably would have been impossible to shoot, because it was only visible due to the bright moon that was rising to my right. At that time it appeared almost like a cloud, sort of in the shape of an oval from my perspective. It seemed to be gray in color. I thought the oval-like shape was weird, because when I had first noticed it (when it was moving very fast) it seemed more angular, almost like a long rectangle.

Then it paused when it was NNE of me at about 100-300 feet off the ground. It seemed to stay there for about 10 seconds, then as it was getting larger, I thought it was coming toward me, and I got more scared and ran toward my back door (to the south). Then I watched it from there for what seemed like 15 seconds.

I noticed the dog two doors down was barking, and that was all I could hear. He is usually a very quiet dog.

Then the object got smaller, or farther away. Then it just seemed to get a little smaller still, and then it was gone. It may have gone north or east, but I can’t be sure, because it disappeared very quickly.

I looked all around for a few minutes, but it was gone! I don’t know how close it came to me, but it is possible that it came as close as a block away. If it was a block away, then it must have been about 30-40 feet long. I went inside to document the time, and it was after 7:50, so it must have happened about 7:46, and it only lasted what seemed to be a minute or less, but maybe it was longer, because I was outside for up to 25 minutes.

It was very surreal to me, and I can’t be sure about that. What I am sure about is that the experience was exceptionally unusual.

In summary, when it wasn’t moving so fast, it looked sort of like a small cloud on a moonlit night. However, it definitely went easterly. I noticed a short time later that there were a few clouds in the north heading westerly. I verified this less than two hours later on the Weather Channel when I was trying to figure out what had happened. The clouds are definitely going toward the ocean tonight! There were no clouds in that direction at that time.

Had I not seen it moving so extremely, I would have thought it was just a cloud. I don’t know what it was, and, unfortunately, I was alone, so I don’t have a witness or a second opinion of any kind that I’m aware of.




NUFORC Note:

We have spoken with this witness via telephone on three occasions, and we deem him to be an exceptionally capable, and reliable, witness. We do not know what it was he witnessed. PD


Posted 2005-10-20

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