NUFORC Sighting 52200

Occurred: 2006-08-11 09:00 Local
Reported: 2006-08-27 21:05 Pacific
Duration: 5 minutes
No of observers: 0

Location: Sacramento (east of), CA, USA

Shape:


While flying on United Flt 601 from Chiago Il., to Sacramento, Ca. on August 11, 2006. This is the day after the discovery and break up of the alleged "terrorist plot" to blow up airliners bound from the UK to the U.S.A. Airport security was in the highest state of alert.

Times and altitude are to the best of my recollection. I didn't make note of the possible significance of this incident until later in that day.

We were flying in an Airbue A319 at 36,000 ft. about 2 hours before (east of) Sacramento, Calfornia.

United has Air Traffic Control (ATC) piped over audio channel 9 so you can listen with head phones. ATC called out to another passenge plane who was flying at 33,000 feet that there was "traffic" at his 10:00 o'clock position and about 1000 feet above him at 5(?) miles. The pilot responded that he was looking. ATC called again and said the "traffic" was about 2 miles and now almost at his altitude.

That he should descend 200 or 300 feet, and to report the traffic when in sight.

The pilot said he was looking and then exclaimed that he saw him and that he just passes to the left of him very close and that he really saw "him" and stumbled and hisitated like he wanted to say more but held his tongue.

Shortly after that, ATC calls out to "ALL aircraft flying between 30,000 and 40,000 feet to report in, state their altitude and ID themselves, I assume that ment to set a specific IFF code on their transponders. About 10 aircraft called in and then there was silence for a short while before the normal ATC chatter started back up..

Local Sacramento time was about 09:00.

After thinking about this I thought this may have been the case of an unknown flying object, with no flight plan or nor IFF. Initial thought that a hijacked plane at 33,000 feet rather that a UFO.

I reported this previously but got no response from your agency.



Posted 2006-10-30

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