NUFORC Sighting 36045

Occurred: 2004-04-07 20:05 Local
Reported: 2004-04-07 23:58 Pacific
Duration: 10 Min.
No of observers: 3

Location: Bullhead City, AZ, USA

Shape: Other
Characteristics: Lights on object

Redish erratic light over Bullhead City, AZ/Laughlin NV.

At the said time and date, my wife and I were driving home. Almost nearly home, we noticed a fairly bright light on an object directly in front of us (North of our position.) At first, I dismissed it as a helicopter or a fixed wing airplane.

Within 30 seconds of watching the object, what appeared to be the wing of the craft was illuminated by the bright singular light of the object. The "wing" appeared from our position that of an air plane in a hard bank. So the "wing" was straight up and down and was not hiding the large singular light, nor was it effecting the intensity of the light.

At this time, my wife called her mother and had her look from her location which was only a few blocks away north of our position. Useless for triangulation. She attempted to get her video camera set up, but was unable to do so during the short time span.

Gauging distance would be difficult, but I would guess it would be no more than 5 miles away. There was absolutely no sound.

There was no wind whatsoever, yet the object looked as if it were drifting in a large circle, hung from a cable from high above. The object displayed no vertical movement. It appeared to keep the same altitude as it drifted to the West. At times it would stop making its pivoting circles, and hold in one location. From my position, it would appear as if the craft while drifting West would slow down, and head back East, then go back west. It would slow as it reached the edge of it's circular pivot.

I've used and seen many types of flares, and this was no flare. For one, if it was a flare, it didn't do a very good job at illuminating the ground. No smoke was seen near the object either. Plus, the lack of vertical movement makes me skeptical.

I kept wanting to think it was a hot air balloon dangling a light below it. That's the speed and impression the object gave me.

There were no strobe lights that I could see. The single light was much brighter than the evening star which was present just to the West. The light was a dim redish color that tended to flicker slightly. The size of the light from my position was aprox. 10 times larger than the Evening star.

When the object disapeared, the light simply went out as if you flipped a switch. This alone eliminates any type of commercial traffic.

My only theory is it could be ball lightning, some type of flare, unknown military or alien craft. We did have non-producing thunder storms in the area earlier in the day.

I can't explain the cable or the "wing" structure above the light either. That kind of eliminates ball lightning.

For me, I'm a trained observer, and work security for the Federal Government at a local facility. I have an interest in aviation and military equipment.

I've never seen a "UFO" before, since I was always able to find a credible answer for whatever I saw.

On a side note, during the event, it sounded as if a large number of people were outside looking at it. Also, I heard some tires screaching off in the distance. This object definately had peoples attention. We're used to low flying air craft up some fairly large commercial jets overhead since the International Laughlin Airport is aprox. 5 miles away.

No other aircraft were present in the area during the event.

You may contact me through e-mail if you need any more information.



Posted 2004-04-09

© 2023 National UFO Reporting Center. All rights reserved. Use or reproduction within any application without written consent is prohibited.