10/28/2005: Carlsbad, CA, USA

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National UFO Reporting Center Sighting Report
Occurred : 10/28/2005 20:15 (Entered as : 10/28/05 20:15) Reported: 10/28/2005 9:02:57 PM 21:02 Posted: 11/3/2005 Location: Carlsbad, CA Shape: Formation Duration: 5 minutes Characteristics: There were lights on the object, There were aircraft in the vicinity or aircraft chasing the object
2 Flashing red lights pass directly overhead in perfect formation at very high altitude with no sound. I work at a place in Carlsbad, Ca., which has 24 hour security. I was doing these security rounds at about 8:15pm at night when I had my sighting. I had just walked out of the Southern part of a building, into a courtyard between the offices buildings, turning East to walk back towards the main building. I looked up into the sky as I usually do and spotted what I assume in Mars. I remember reading a news story about how Mars is supposed to pass close to the Earth again and look bigger than normal. I noted this must be Mars as it looked bigger than any other star and seemed to have an orange tint to it. Just to the right of Mars, off to the ESE, I then I spotted something I'm not used to seeing at all. In that part of the sky, I saw two very far off red flashing lights. They did not flash at the same time, rather one and then the other. The first thing I thought was that these were military helicopters, flying at a very high altitude. They seeming to be flying to my right, which was South. I assumed they were flying from Camp Pendleton to Mira Mar, both Marine bases in San Diego. This would not have been unusual if this was the case. I've often seen helicopters fly a NNW to SSE flight path over Vista and San Marcos down to Mira Mar, even at night. I stopped for a moment to watch them... and they blinked out. The sky was completely clear. You could see every star. There were absolutely no clouds. I was stunned. I waited. I wanted to see them again. I wanted to make sure that maybe they didn't just fade behind a very thin cloud that I was unable to see in the night sky. I expected them to pop back out further to the South, possibly leaving my vision on the SE horizon. That's when they reappeared alomst directly overhead. I looked up, surprised by their new position, but then I realized that they may not have been flying SE at all. They may have been approaching and flying directly West. I just percieved the wrong thing at first because they were so far off on the horizon. They were now directly overhead, just South of the zenith. I watched them pass. They still appeared to be very high in the sky, however, the red lights flashed a lot brighter. The stars were even more clear in the sky. I thought that I might be actually seeing a black tringle. So, I carefully watched the sky between the lights to see if I could see an edge or perhaps see stars "blink out" as it passed by. I did not, so I was able to rule out this was a single craft. The two red lights were two seperate objects. They matched each other in speed and brightness so well, though, that if was hard to tell. I had to look just to make sure. Once I ruled that out, I still noted no sound. I called my roommate on a cell phone I was carrying and reported what I was seeing to him. He was at the apartment, a few miles to the NE of my position, in Vista, however, the apartment faces NW and he doubted that he would be able to see it. Even as I spoke with him, the two lights were slowly making their way across the sky and out to the Pacific Ocean. I continued to watch them, never taking my eyes off them, as I spoke with him and watched them bank to their left. The two lights took on a 45 degree angle in the sky as they seemed to turn from going West to SW. Eventually, the lights met with the horizon of another office building and I had to walk away because I could no longer see them from my point of view. My thoughts are that I believe this was military. It could possibly be either fighter jets or military helicopters flying at the highest altitude, however, what gets me if the total absense of sound, nor any other lights. Now, in the flashing of the red light, there could have been a smaller white one mixed in there, but the lights were so high up, and the red flashed so quickly, that I was unable to tell for certain. I'm reporting this just in case I'm wrong and the military didn't fly these two crafts tonight. I am familiar with the two red light sightings in San Diego around the 4th of July and New Years. I'm reporting this just in case these may actually be tied into those sightings as well. Note: As an added note, there was tons of air traffic tonight. I saw at least 5 other small planes in the sky returning to the main building. Three of which seemed to be flying up and down the coast of Carlsbad at the same time as my sighting. One plane was landing at Palomar airport at 8:18pm. It's possible other pilots in the Northern Western part of San Diego County may have seen these two lights and can be a better judge of altitude and position. ((ADDENDUM FROM ORIGINAL WITNESS; SUBMITTED 10/28/2005 AT 21:02 HRS.)) Flashing red light returns, alone this time, flies same path overhead, and disappears over SW horizon Refer back to 20:15 sighting in same location. This is the same person reporting. The lights came back. ((NUFORC Note: at 21:40 hrs.)) One of them did, anyways. This time there was only one flashing red light in the sky as it passed overhead, going the same speed, same direction. Now I really am wondering if it's military aircraft circling. However, as always, because the lights would completely stop flashing and go out for a few passing moments, and because this still did not have any sound, or any other lights associated with it, I wanted to report it here. This time I can give you something else I didn't note the first time. There was a sequence to the flashing lights. It flashed in sequence of 1-2-3-stop... 1-2-3-stop... each time it stopped, there would be no lights at all. I could only still make out a red light. I watch it blink out while overhead this time and still could not even make out a shadow of a dot in the sky. I watched it fly west, all by itself, and bank to the SW again before I returned to what I was doing. ((END ADDENDUM)) ((CORRESPONDENCE FROM WITNESS)) Peter, I'm sorry, but it turns out that these aircraft were fighter jets from Miramar MAS. They returned a third time later in the evening and I had a witness with me who was able to say with certainty that these are what they were. During the third sighting, we actually saw four of them, flying the same exact circular path, two by two. He agreed with me, however, that it was very strange that the pilots were turning off all their lights. Again, right over the area of Encinitis, Ca, the flashing red lights would turn off and they'd fly a short distance for about a good 10 seconds with no lights at all. Also during the third sighting, things were finally quiet enough in the area that we were both able to hear the very distant rumble of fighter jet engines. I apologise for posting these reports, now that I know what they were, but, like I said in those reports, the fact that I couldn't hear them at first and the fact that they were actually turning off all their navigational lights was throwing me off. I guess they thought they were flying high enough that they didn't need to worry about commercial and private aircraft hitting them. I wonder why they still did that, though... I guess you can still post the reports based on that weird fact. Maybe they didn't want to be noticed and were flying at such a high altitude because they were flying something unconventional. I have no doubt now, though, that it was military aircraft from Miramar. ((END CORRESPONDENCE))

National UFO Reporting Center Sighting Report

Occurred : 10/28/2005 20:15 (Entered as : 10/28/05 20:15)
Reported: 10/28/2005 9:02:57 PM 21:02
Posted: 11/3/2005
Location: Carlsbad, CA
Shape: Formation
Duration: 5 minutes
Characteristics: There were lights on the object, There were aircraft in the vicinity or aircraft chasing the object

2 Flashing red lights pass directly overhead in perfect formation at very high altitude with no sound.

I work at a place in Carlsbad, Ca., which has 24 hour security. I was doing these security rounds at about 8:15pm at night when I had my sighting. I had just walked out of the Southern part of a building, into a courtyard between the offices buildings, turning East to walk back towards the main building. I looked up into the sky as I usually do and spotted what I assume in Mars. I remember reading a news story about how Mars is supposed to pass close to the Earth again and look bigger than normal. I noted this must be Mars as it looked bigger than any other star and seemed to have an orange tint to it.

Just to the right of Mars, off to the ESE, I then I spotted something I'm not used to seeing at all. In that part of the sky, I saw two very far off red flashing lights. They did not flash at the same time, rather one and then the other. The first thing I thought was that these were military helicopters, flying at a very high altitude. They seeming to be flying to my right, which was South. I assumed they were flying from Camp Pendleton to Mira Mar, both Marine bases in San Diego. This would not have been unusual if this was the case. I've often seen helicopters fly a NNW to SSE flight path over Vista and San Marcos down to Mira Mar, even at night. I stopped for a moment to watch them... and they blinked out.

The sky was completely clear. You could see every star. There were absolutely no clouds. I was stunned. I waited. I wanted to see them again. I wanted to make sure that maybe they didn't just fade behind a very thin cloud that I was unable to see in the night sky. I expected them to pop back out further to the South, possibly leaving my vision on the SE horizon.

That's when they reappeared alomst directly overhead.

I looked up, surprised by their new position, but then I realized that they may not have been flying SE at all. They may have been approaching and flying directly West. I just percieved the wrong thing at first because they were so far off on the horizon.

They were now directly overhead, just South of the zenith. I watched them pass. They still appeared to be very high in the sky, however, the red lights flashed a lot brighter. The stars were even more clear in the sky. I thought that I might be actually seeing a black tringle. So, I carefully watched the sky between the lights to see if I could see an edge or perhaps see stars "blink out" as it passed by. I did not, so I was able to rule out this was a single craft. The two red lights were two seperate objects. They matched each other in speed and brightness so well, though, that if was hard to tell. I had to look just to make sure.

Once I ruled that out, I still noted no sound. I called my roommate on a cell phone I was carrying and reported what I was seeing to him. He was at the apartment, a few miles to the NE of my position, in Vista, however, the apartment faces NW and he doubted that he would be able to see it. Even as I spoke with him, the two lights were slowly making their way across the sky and out to the Pacific Ocean.

I continued to watch them, never taking my eyes off them, as I spoke with him and watched them bank to their left. The two lights took on a 45 degree angle in the sky as they seemed to turn from going West to SW.

Eventually, the lights met with the horizon of another office building and I had to walk away because I could no longer see them from my point of view.

My thoughts are that I believe this was military. It could possibly be either fighter jets or military helicopters flying at the highest altitude, however, what gets me if the total absense of sound, nor any other lights. Now, in the flashing of the red light, there could have been a smaller white one mixed in there, but the lights were so high up, and the red flashed so quickly, that I was unable to tell for certain.

I'm reporting this just in case I'm wrong and the military didn't fly these two crafts tonight. I am familiar with the two red light sightings in San Diego around the 4th of July and New Years. I'm reporting this just in case these may actually be tied into those sightings as well.

Note: As an added note, there was tons of air traffic tonight. I saw at least 5 other small planes in the sky returning to the main building. Three of which seemed to be flying up and down the coast of Carlsbad at the same time as my sighting. One plane was landing at Palomar airport at 8:18pm. It's possible other pilots in the Northern Western part of San Diego County may have seen these two lights and can be a better judge of altitude and position.

((ADDENDUM FROM ORIGINAL WITNESS; SUBMITTED 10/28/2005 AT 21:02 HRS.))

Flashing red light returns, alone this time, flies same path overhead, and disappears over SW horizon

Refer back to 20:15 sighting in same location. This is the same person reporting.

The lights came back. ((NUFORC Note: at 21:40 hrs.)) One of them did, anyways. This time there was only one flashing red light in the sky as it passed overhead, going the same speed, same direction.

Now I really am wondering if it's military aircraft circling. However, as always, because the lights would completely stop flashing and go out for a few passing moments, and because this still did not have any sound, or any other lights associated with it, I wanted to report it here.

This time I can give you something else I didn't note the first time. There was a sequence to the flashing lights. It flashed in sequence of 1-2-3-stop... 1-2-3-stop... each time it stopped, there would be no lights at all. I could only still make out a red light. I watch it blink out while overhead this time and still could not even make out a shadow of a dot in the sky.

I watched it fly west, all by itself, and bank to the SW again before I returned to what I was doing.

((END ADDENDUM))

((CORRESPONDENCE FROM WITNESS))

Peter, I'm sorry, but it turns out that these aircraft were fighter jets from Miramar MAS. They returned a third time later in the evening and I had a witness with me who was able to say with certainty that these are what they were. During the third sighting, we actually saw four of them, flying the same exact circular path, two by two.

He agreed with me, however, that it was very strange that the pilots were turning off all their lights. Again, right over the area of Encinitis, Ca, the flashing red lights would turn off and they'd fly a short distance for about a good 10 seconds with no lights at all.

Also during the third sighting, things were finally quiet enough in the area that we were both able to hear the very distant rumble of fighter jet engines.

I apologise for posting these reports, now that I know what they were, but, like I said in those reports, the fact that I couldn't hear them at first and the fact that they were actually turning off all their navigational lights was throwing me off. I guess they thought they were flying high enough that they didn't need to worry about commercial and private aircraft hitting them. I wonder why they still did that, though...

I guess you can still post the reports based on that weird fact. Maybe they didn't want to be noticed and were flying at such a high altitude because they were flying something unconventional. I have no doubt now, though, that it was military aircraft from Miramar.

((END CORRESPONDENCE))