NUFORC Sighting 38231

Occurred: 2004-06-19 12:00 Local
Reported: 2004-07-20 17:23 Pacific
Duration: 5 minutes
No of observers: 1

Location: Tecate, CA, USA

Shape: Cylinder

Long cylinder shape with no wings/rudder observed on a clear, cloudless day at noon.

It was on Saturday, June 19, 2004, at approximately noontime. The weather was warm with a cloudless sky, without appreciable haze. The location was a couple of miles north of Tecate on State-94.

So, I was driving eastbound on 94 and just passed the Tecate cutoff when I noticed what at first appeared to be a low-flying jet transport aircraft.

It was rather low for the area, maybe about 6,000 feet above MSL. However, it was very long in relation to its width. If you could visualize a tall telephone pole you have an idea of its proportions. It was moving west, straight and level, with the long axis of the body parallel to the direction of flight (it was flat).

I thought that maybe it was an old stretch DC-8, but it was skinnier than that. I then thought I was seeing a reflection off the curved side of a regular transport, but I then stopped my truck to look closer and I didn't see any evidence of reflection. Further, I didn't see any rudder or wings. It was too far away to see any markings/windows/portholes, but I certainly should have seen a rudder. I watched as it proceeded to the west and was apparently several miles away when it looked like it turned slightly to the south. Once again, I didn't see any wings, which if it had them I would have seen as it banked. I would guess that it was at least 200-feet long with a rather bland gray color.

Posted 2004-07-25