5/8/2005: Phoenix, AZ, USA

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National UFO Reporting Center Sighting Report
Occurred : 5/8/2005 11:00 (Entered as : 05/08/2005 11:00) Reported: 5/9/2005 1:44:54 PM 13:44 Posted: 5/11/2005 Location: Phoenix, AZ Shape: Sphere Duration: 10 seconds
Small sphere, moving very fast to the west, directly under my aircraft, 3,500 feet Flying alone in a private aircraft, I was inbound to Phoenix, approaching from the southwest, just south of South Mountain, at the eastern tip of the mountain range. I was at 3500 feet. Something approached the plane -- I got a sense of speed before a sense of it's shape -- from the right front quarter. It darted right under the plane, I would say at about 15 to twenty feet below me. At first I thought it might be a bird, and was alarmed. A bird strike, even in a small plane, could do some serious damage. I quickly looked to my left and saw the object. It was a sphere, about the size of a large softball, or maybe a bit smaller than a basketball. It was pale yellow in color, and it was moving very fast, in a horizontal path, not diving, or climbing. It disappeared to the west very quickly. I lost it on the horizon. I told myself it had to have been a bird, but no bird moves that fast. Even with combined closing speed (I was only doing 90 knots indicated -- about 103mph) a bird would not have looked like it was going that fast. I had to collect myself and fly the plane, I was about to enter busy airspace, so I had to think about other things. Very strange.

National UFO Reporting Center Sighting Report

Occurred : 5/8/2005 11:00 (Entered as : 05/08/2005 11:00)
Reported: 5/9/2005 1:44:54 PM 13:44
Posted: 5/11/2005
Location: Phoenix, AZ
Shape: Sphere
Duration: 10 seconds

Small sphere, moving very fast to the west, directly under my aircraft, 3,500 feet

Flying alone in a private aircraft, I was inbound to Phoenix, approaching from the southwest, just south of South Mountain, at the eastern tip of the mountain range. I was at 3500 feet.

Something approached the plane -- I got a sense of speed before a sense of it's shape -- from the right front quarter. It darted right under the plane, I would say at about 15 to twenty feet below me.

At first I thought it might be a bird, and was alarmed. A bird strike, even in a small plane, could do some serious damage.

I quickly looked to my left and saw the object. It was a sphere, about the size of a large softball, or maybe a bit smaller than a basketball. It was pale yellow in color, and it was moving very fast, in a horizontal path, not diving, or climbing. It disappeared to the west very quickly. I lost it on the horizon.

I told myself it had to have been a bird, but no bird moves that fast. Even with combined closing speed (I was only doing 90 knots indicated -- about 103mph) a bird would not have looked like it was going that fast. I had to collect myself and fly the plane, I was about to enter busy airspace, so I had to think about other things.

Very strange.