NUFORC Sighting 81777

Occurred: 2011-06-14 22:00 Local
Reported: 2011-06-14 22:53 Pacific
Duration: 1 minute
No of observers: 2

Location: Bellevue, WA, USA

Shape: Light
Characteristics: Lights on object

Belmont

Conditions: No precipitation. Excellent visibility. Moderately-high cloud ceiling.

What/where: Driving, I entered the I-405 freeway on-ramp at SE 112th st in Bellevue, WA, north bound, and saw approximately 7 or 8 lights, traveling southbound over Mercer Island, in what looked like a holding pattern for aircraft.

I pulled off to the side of the onramp (where the Metro buses load) to observe and film with my IPhone. These were not recognizable as aircraft since each craft (i.e. light) was spaced much too closely together. Their elevation was lower than what aircraft normally fly at and they were at various altitudes.

There were not any strobes (white, green, or red) that would indicate these were valid aircraft; these lights were of a pinkish-orange color. All were the same color and brightness.

As the lights traveled south until the what appeared to be the southern end of Mercer Island and then elevated up to the clouds and could not be seen thereafter.

After about 7 of these passed us, an 8th followed them at extremely high speed and also elevated into the clouds.

Curious to see more, I exited the freeway at Coal Creek Parkway and drove to the top of Somerset (neighborhood). From the top of Somerset, I could see aircraft approaching SeaTac Intl. Airport, which is much further away than Mercer Island.

The aircraft approaching SeaTac had visible strobes - so the lights that I saw, which were much closer than SeaTac, clearly were not typical aircraft as no strobes were present.

I have footage of some of them captured on my IPhone.

Posted 2011-06-20