NUFORC Sighting 11529

Occurred: 1999-12-22 19:15 Local
Reported: 1999-12-31 00:00 Pacific
Duration: 2 min
No of observers: 5

Location: White Sands, NM, USA

Shape: Light
Characteristics: Aircraft nearby, Landed

A starlike object descended vertically for 2 minutes changing color from a very bright white to gold the closer it got to the ground. The light landed at Holloman AFB ever so slowly decellerating to a stop on the airstrip. As the light decended there were 3 stealth fighter jets circling at approximately a 14 mile radius. All 3 jets landed directly after the event.

As we were leaving the White Sands Natl. monument at approximately 19:15 pm mst. after watching the solstice full moon rise, I noticed due east a piercing white light, about half the size of my little finger held at arms length, decending from approx. 5000 ft. vertically very slowly toward the middle of Holloman AFB. I stopped the car, grabbed the binoculars, and watched the object decend for approx. 2 minutes. 2 others got out of the car and 2 others watched from within the car. I noticed 3 circling stealth f-117 nighthawks circling the light in an approx.14 mile diameter circle. The object was approx 7 miles away and through the binoculars looked just like a very bright light with no stobes, beacons , or any other kind of aircraft type navigational lights. As the object neared the ground I noticed the underside of the light changing to a mellow yellow-gold glow. I then passed the binoculars off to another friend. The light did not seem to stop and hover, it decended in a very deliberate yet exponetially slower manner until it landed at what appeared to be the middle of the airfield. I could not resolve a shape to the intense light, yet at the same distance I had no problem resolving the very dim navigational lights outlining the circling stealth jets. The light could have been a helicopter with some sort of amazingly bright battlefield night light, or an aircraft with a super set of landing lights approaching head on from my position, but from my perspective it definitely looked like a vertical decent of a very bright star with no discernable outlines of any solidity. I could hear the stealth as they flew overhead, but there was no sound from the starlike object. The 2 of us outside with the binoculars were impressed and amazed that our airforce has come so far with their technology, the others observing from within and outside the car didn't think much of bright lights descending into an airbase and dismissed our awe as silliness. My overall impression was that it was indeed a more incredible eve! nt than the beautiful full moon rising over white sands that night, and I thought it was definitely worth sharing with the NUFORC. I will email a map with a diagram of my position at the time of the sighting, thanks.

Posted 2000-01-07