NUFORC Sighting 12431

Occurred: 2000-03-24 13:35 Local
Reported: 2000-03-24 00:00 Pacific
Duration: 1.5 min?
No of observers: 1

Location: Beaverton, OR, USA

Shape: Disk
Characteristics: Aircraft nearby

Bright white discoid at high velocity seen passing behind a commercial jetliner during ascent

I was standing on the loading dock where I work smoking, and was observing a commercial jetliner (I believe a Super-80) flying west to east, still ascending from takeoff (approx 15000 feet and climbing). I noticed a bright white object approaching the rear of the jet from the west, at about 5 times the speed of the aircraft. At first I thought this to be a seagull at a much lower altitude and viewed from the side. Within seconds, I observed the object pass behind and above the jet, indicating that it was at a much greater altitude than I had first assumed it to be. As I watched it closely, it came to a sudden stop with no apparent deceleration, and hovered for less than a second. It then reversed its course and flew west at an outrageous speed. For a brief moment, I saw it dip slightly to one side, revealing it to be a circular shaped object. It accelerated out of sight in less than 1 second. The object may have had a reflective surface appearing to glow white because of the bright sunshine today.

Posted 2000-04-01