NUFORC Sighting 145949

Occurred: 2019-04-26 23:00 Local
Reported: 2019-05-01 13:52 Pacific
Duration: ~5 minutes
No of observers: 2

Location: NJ (above; in-flight @ 30K feet), NJ, USA

Shape: Light
Characteristics: Lights on object

Weird light "dancing" at aprox 30K feet up during commercial flight from IAD to MHT

It was about 11PM, and based on how long we'd been in the air, my guess is we were over cental NJ. We would have been at cruising altitude, so my guess is 30K feet or more. I saw a light that caught my attention out my window. I was on the starboard side of the plan, so East/Northeast would have been the direction I was facing. This light was solid. At that altitude planes don't have their landing lights on, only flashing markers. So that seemed weird, especially as the light wasn't losing altitude.

Anyhow, the light starts to "dance" if you will. Shooting straight up, then dropping quickly. Moving rapidly from left to right. It seemed to grow a bit more intense and I noticed a second red light next to the white one. Both part of the same aircraft it seemed. But again, it was solid, not flashing. Again the light started moving around. My plane was steady, so it couldn't have been an optical illusion where the light was steady, but we w! ere moving.

Anyhow, this continued for about 5 minutes or so and then it just disappeared. My first thought was that maybe it was a military plane practicing maneuvers. But that wouldn't happen there and definitely not at that altitude. That's the busiest air corridor in the US, so the FAA would never allow it. Plus, even military aircraft would have to follow regulations for no solid lights except for landing...

Posted 2019-05-09