NUFORC Sighting 17608

Occurred: 2000-11-01 21:00 Local
Reported: 2001-05-11 00:00 Pacific
Duration: 1 minute +/-
No of observers: 1

Location: Mitchell, SD, USA

Shape: Other
Characteristics: Lights on object

It looked like a flying canoe.

This is going to sound stupid, but please bear w/ me. In November of last year, I was on my way to pick my wife up from work at Cabella's. It was a very windy, cold night, not fit for small aircraft to be taking off from our tiny airport, so I guess that's why I noticed this in the first place. As I was going around towards the back of the building on the access road, I saw what appeared to be a flying canoe go over my Jeep. White bottom, with an alternately blinking white light on the front and rear. As it passed over my windshield from N to S, I rolled down my window for a better look. All I could see was the bottom, and this thing looked like I said- a flying canoe, with the 2 blinking lights. In fact, this thing was so cheezy looking I laughed out loud. It looked like a really piss-poor carnival gimic. The lights looked like 60-watt light bulbs, nothing even remotely resembling modern avionic marker lights- no red or green.And with a strong wind out of the W, this thing was low enough that I could see that it had no wings, and appeared to be unaffected by the wind- no wobbling like small aircraft do with a strong side-wind blowing. I am a defense contr., and am very familiar with aircraft. This was definitely NOT one of 'ours'. I was more amused, than impressed.

Posted 2001-08-05