NUFORC Sighting 71354

Occurred: 2000-07-17 22:30 Local
Reported: 2009-07-27 01:58 Pacific
Duration: 1 min
No of observers: 0

Location: Lake City, CA, USA

Shape: Light
Characteristics: Lights on object

Bright at rapid speed in NE corner of Calfornia

The nights of July 16th and 17th were lovely warm and clear summer evenings for watching the stars and looking for satellites. Prior to the time of UFO sighting I had sighted about six satellites and multiple high altitude aircraft. I had been laying on the ground for about one half hour in a way that no ground based lights were visible. My body was positioned in a north to south direction. (Location Coordinates 41°37'45.18"N 120°12'50.27"W). Around 2330 I noticed a bright white light traveling west to east from a point starting on a line about one half of the distance between my north horizon and the North Star. The light felt like it was shining from a beginning distance of 15 to 20 miles to the north of my position which would be in the neighbor hood of Mount Bidwell (Coordinates: 41°57'57"N 120°9'56"W). The light reminded me of a brightness of an aircraft landing light except that it felt like it was too far away and was traveling at an angle away fr! om my point of view. No navigation lights were visible at any time around the light. The light did not appear to be directional like a landing light. The path of the diminishing size indicated possible travel away in an east north easterly direction, with the light fading and extinguishing from view prior to my north east horizon. Transit time was in the range of one minute.

This path would be consistent with possible travel for a military night training flight from Kingsley field in Klamath Falls, OR (LMT), to the Hart South MOA. However, the transit time across the horizon and perceived distance appeared much too fast for a jet not in afterburner and under the speed of sound. The night was still and no sound was apparent. My position was slightly east of airway V 165 and high altitude aircraft are regularly visible transiting north to south both west and far to the east of my position. I have never seen a light maneuver like this one, nor have I ever noticed any other flying object that I did not feel could be reasonably explained.

This location is in a sparsely populated region of California. Documented cattle mutilations have occurred in the past on local ranches. I am a former Navy and commercial pilot flying such aircraft such the C-130 in the Atlantic and Pacific regions so am familiar with aircraft and landing lights.

Posted 2009-08-05