Occurred: 2001-12-25 18:42 Local
Reported: 2002-04-30 16:54 Pacific
Duration: 3 minutes
No of observers: 4

Location: Missouri Valley, IA, USA

Shape: Other
Characteristics: Lights on object

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NUFORC Note:

We express our gratitude to Beverly Trout for submitting this follow-up report. She can be reached at the following address:

Beverly Trout, Iowa MUFON State Director, (515) 957-8164, E-Mail:

This is the follow-up investigation by Iowa MUFON State Director,Beverly Trout, of a sighting reported to NUFORC on 12/26/2001 at 12:36:38 P.M.

12:36, and posted on 1/11/2002. On Christmas Day night at 6:42 p.m. a family of 4 were on their way from Sioux City, Iowa to Omaha, Nebraska on I-29 (southbound, about 3 miles north of the North Omaha Exit which turns west on I-680) when they sighted a lighted object about 1/2 mile ahead of their vehicle. As their vehicle neared the white-lighted object, they saw that it was hovered near the opposite side of I-29 approximately 500-600 feet ahead and diagonally to their left (SE) of the witnesses' vehicle, at an estimated altitude of 500 feet. (Investigation shows that the cloud ceiling was 2,200 feet, so we at least know that the object was below 2,200 feet. Without the ability to be more specific, what seems obvious is that the sighting was close, and at fairly low altitude.) Traffic on the northbound side of I-29 had slowed down drastically, with 4 vehicles pulled over, and with at least one individual standing outside his vehicle looking up at the object. The bright lights, seeming to present a visual crown effect, and perceived by the witnesses to be somewhat smaller than an airliner, suddenly did a "back flip" - that is, the lights did a 360 degree turn, as the object rose straight up and ascended through the cloud ceiling. Three (3) of the four (4) witnesses were interviewed at the site, the father and two adolescents, age 11 and 12. The adult witness is a thoughtful type individual, with no apparent desire to embellish or over-conclude. The two adolescents are intelligent youth, fascinated and amazed by what they saw and articulately willing to share their perception of the incident. They exhibited nothing giddy or frivolous as they described and drew sketches of their perceptions of the incident. As an investigator, I consider this a multiple witness sighting with 3 good witnesses, who from their position in the family van had a good vantage! point f rom which to view an anomalous object. While this is essentially a "lights in the sky" kind of sighting, with only an impression of curved edges, which might suggest a boomerang or disk,the bright lights, the low altitude, the nearness of the object to a heavy trafficway, and the report of a "back-flip" as the object rose straight up, make it an interesting case for examination, even though no other reports were called in to local law enforcement, and FAA at Eppley Airfield indicated nothing unusual on radar.


Posted 2002-05-14

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