NUFORC Sighting 178316

Occurred: 2023-09-17 19:40 Local
Reported: 2023-09-17 19:53 Pacific
Duration: 5-10 minutes
No of observers: 2

Location: Fort Worth, TX, USA
Location details: In the city near Naval Air Station Joint Reserve Base Fort Worth

Shape: Cigar

A cigar shaped craft moved over the south end of the runway of Naval Air Station Joint Reserve Base Fort Worth

Date: Sunday Sept 17, 2023
Location: Ridgmar Blvd. and Green Oaks Rd
Fort Worth, Texas
Time: Right after sunset about 7:30 to 7:45 PM
Local Wind Speed: 2 MPH from the east

Description of object: Roughly Cigar shaped with irregular bumps on the sides. It was an irregular shaped object. It was a black or very dark grey color. There were no wings or other means of propulsion. It was close enough to us that that would have been easily observable. The length of the object is estimated to be 50 to 100 feet. The width at the mid-point was maybe 10 to 20 feet.

Approximate speed. 30-40 MPH
Altitude: Estimated 1000 to 1500 feet.
Direction of travel: South East to North West
Time Observed: About 5 to 10 minutes

Description: Was driving east on Ridmar Blvd toward Green Oaks Road when my wife asked if I could see an object above us on the passenger side of the car. I couldn’t see the object, so when I reached the stop sign on Ridgmar Blvd at Green Oaks Rd., I put the car in park and got out to look at the object. It was at about 75 to 80 degrees above the horizon and about 1000 to 1500 feet in altitude as best as I could tell, moving slowly to the north east at about 30-40 MPH in a straight line. The sky was still very light as the sun had just gone down. I looked at it and tried to figure our what the object was. At first, the shape sort of resembled an helicopter, but there was no sound coming from the object. It was close enough to us that if it had been a helicopter, I most definitely would have heard it. It was moving toward the south end of the runway of the Naval Air Station Joint Reserve Base Fort Worth. I know from being a drone operator and trying to fly in this exact area, that it is a restricted area and you can’t get permission to fly here. I watched it until it got approximately over the south end of the runway and then I got back in my car and moved to a store parking lot on Green Oaks Rd. I got out and watched it until it was almost out of sight in the distance. It never changed speed, direction or altitude that I could tell. My wife thought it might be a balloon, but I have never seen a balloon in that shape. There was no discernable wind at ground level and this object was very low, so I don’t think there would have been enough wind to move a balloon at that speed.

By the time I thought of taking a picture of it, it was so far away it wouldn’t have shown much detail. I am an electrical engineer and a drone pilot.

Posted 2023-10-28