NUFORC Sighting 141777

Occurred: 2018-06-08 22:20 Local
Reported: 2018-06-09 12:28 Pacific
Duration: 3-5 minutes
No of observers: 1

Location: Orlando, FL, USA

Shape: Light
Characteristics: Lights on object, Aura or haze around object, Changed Color, Aircraft nearby

Rapidly changing coloured light extremely dissimilar to aircraft lighting seen at airport.

I work at a major airport in the state of Florida as an airfield electrician. I am used to, at this point, the general visual characteristics of aircraft lighting as it approaches and departs the airfield, especially since my job depends on being able to get out of the way for landing and taxiing aircraft.

On 6/8/2018 at approximately 22:20 local, I stopped in one of our lighting vaults to use the facilities and wished to have a cigarette before going onto the field for the night's work. This lighting vault is located on a less populated side of the field in a section of airport property that has not yet been developed. As I stood there and observed various aircraft flying many miles from the field, my eyes were drawn to one light that was behaving EXTREMELY out of character for the lights of an aircraft. It was rapidly changing colour between red, green, white, yellow and blue. My first thought was that it looked similar to police lights at night with its rapidly changing colours. Its approximate position was perhaps 3-5nm to my Northeast and it appeared to be slowly moving in my general direction, displaying inappropriate characteristics of motion for an aircraft. I do not believe the changes in colour to be due to atmospheric effects because other aircraft were appearing normally as just a white point of light with the occasional strobe, even in the same general region of the sky. After appearing to slowly move towards me, the object appeared to remain stationary in the air for some seconds before retreating in the distance and then appearing to dim and fade out rather than disappear below the horizon. I made an attempt to photograph the object, however I only had a cell phone camera and was unable to see the point of light in any photographs taken.

I work the night shift and have for the past year become well used to the appearance of large and small aircraft navigational lighting in positions from 20nm to 20 feet, furthermore I have become well used to the normal movement of aircraft on approach and departure and am well aware of the visual effects produced by their movement in relation to stars and other aircraft. At the time of my encounter, I did not have an airband capable radio on my person, but as I returned to my truck about the time the object began to "fade away", for lack of a better term, I did not hear any chatter in relation to it on the local control frequency; though I admit I did not check with the various approach/departure frequencies.

I am not sure what I saw, but I am sure that it displayed characteristics extremely dissimilar to aircraft lighting.

((ADDENDUM #1 FROM WITNESS))

I'll look for it...though I own an LG 450 flip phone, by design. I am resisting the smartphone push until I cannot avoid it anymore. This was seen visually and I am usually aware about these things. The only mental explanation I can come up with is a rotocraft with amber and blue stroboscopic lights. I could be very wrong, but this is my explanation.

((END ADDENDUM #1))

((ADDENDUM #2 FROM WITNESS))

I checked out the same place at the same time and saw no object.

All I can imagine it to be would be:

1-an aircraft with led approach lights passing through an atmospheric phenomenon causing it to twinkle

2-a rotorcraft with non standard blue and yellow lighting

3-an object that defies conventional explanation.

((END ADDENDUM #2))

Posted 2018-06-15